War Without End
by SirGecko
Summary: It's the dawn of a new age in Spira. Yuna, to be the President of the land. It was doomed from the start. Nothing could prepare anybody for what was to come. How can so few people prevent the inevitable? How can they end the neverending? They can't. [TxY]
1. Nothing and Everything

**

* * *

**

Well hello, everyone. People on this site know me as SirGecko, and you can read more about me in my user profile. I'm new to the Final Fantasy X area, so I'm slightly apprehensive as to what your responses to my work will be. But, I hope that something positive will come outof this, I'll get somecomments, and who knows . . . I just might make a few friends along the way.I'm excited to be a part of this genre. It truly is a great game, not just for the graphics, but the story behind it is just wonderful. So inspired I was that I just had to create my own story based on Final Fantasy X.

Anyway, enough with the sentiments. Without further adieu, we'll move on to chapter one.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Nothing and Everything**

Yuna stirred, moaning slightly and stretching out as far as the small confines of her bed would allow. She opened her eyes and rubbed them slightly, trying to get rid of the morning bleariness that she always experienced right when she woke up. When her vision cleared, she opened her eyes fully and looked around. It looked to be a beautiful morning. She could hear the breeze whistling through her window, making the curtains that hung in front ofher window billow. She could hear the faint sound of sizzling coming from down the hall. Auron had apparently not broken his regimen, she thought with a smile. He would rise when the first star was put out by the rising sun, and then make breakfast for everybody. She found out that, to her surprise, Auron was almost as good a cook as he was a warrior. Yes, it felt like a good day. That is, until she ran her hand across the top portion of her bedsheets.

When she felt the dampness.

Suddenly, everything rushed back to her. All the torture, all the promises that would never be fulfilled, all the memories, and all the pain hit her full force in her mind. Once again, she could feel the tears begin to well in her eyes. But no matter how much she cried, the pain still came. And it still wouldn't go away. It was as though her body was trying to purge her of the sorrow through the tears. However, the measure was only in vain. She knew that there were so many wounds to heal, so much to get over that she would very likely go on attempting to purge her soul of him until the day that she closed her eyes for the last time. Only then could she be at peace with him. And his memory.

She tried meditating. That didn't help. His face always came back and appeared on the front of her closed eyelids like a projection. She tried occupying herself with fun things. That didn't work either. She had forgotten how to have fun. She had even snuck away and tried drinking her sorrows away. Of course, that was only a temporary solution to an ongoing problem. Wakka and Lulu weren't too pleased with having to assist her in getting home either. Wakka took a swig from the bottle of hard liquor that Yuna clutched, and then flung the bottle into the sea. They then had to put her to bed, and were awakened several hours later by her moaning. She was complaining of a huge headache.

She didn't know what to do. Suicide had crossed her mind on several occasions, but she had resisted. She knew that by killing herself she would only cause those she left behind to mourn. They in turn might fall into the same position and Yuna didn't want that, not at all. It seemed as though she would also cause all of Spira to mourn her death as well. No, she thought, physically shaking her head. There has been more than enough death to occupy us recently. It's not worth it. They need me.

They need me.

Such a thought, Yuna muttered to herself bitterly. My friends need me, the People need me, Spira needs me. I live to serve, and that's all I've ever done, she thought. And when the heavens offer me some prospect of living my life with the man I love, he is ripped and torn away from me. I give so much to the world and ask so little. Is one man, the one man I ever fell in love with so much to want?

Here, Yuna broke down crying. She always tried to fight off the sadness, fight off the tears. But in the end, she would always lose. Every morning, she would wake up in total bliss, until she felt her bed sheets. And then she would remember everything . . . and start crying again. So ironic . . . at the start of her pilgrimage, she **knew** that she would be the one to die in the end. However, Tidus had come up with a plan to save her life, knowing that it would mean **his** death. It was funny how love for something could cause one to be so sacrificial, in such similar ways.

But what killed Yuna the most was that she had accepted the fact that **she** would be dying. She had accepted the fact that she would never see her friends, family, and people again. She had accepted the fact that she would be the one to be sacrificed for the greater good. But damn Tidus, he just had to, **had to** be so stubborn. Had to care so much. And all these thoughts comprised Yuna's pain, all these thoughts had attacked her emotions until she couldn't control them anymore.

It was then that she realized what the only thing was that would take her mind off of the pain and suffering. And that was sleep. She wished she could just instantly close her eyes and sleep the pain away, lost in the sleep like a drug. And then, she would feel the high, those few moments after waking up when she remembered nothing of the previous day and was ready to tackle the new one. Then she felt her tear-stained sheets where she had cried herself to sleep the night before. And the night before that. And the night before that. Then she would crash, the pains of the days before coming back to hover over her like a black, ominous thundercloud.

Still sobbing, she got out of bed and walked to the window, staring out at the final remnants of the sunrise. The sun was perfectly centered in the window, bathing the island of Besaid in it's warm and comforting rays. Settled right over the ocean, it was just coming out of its reddish look, and began settling back to the common, yet soothing blue. There were seagulls flying along the beach, off in the distance and down a ways. The bushes outside her window were green and bushy, and every now and then the melodious sound of a chirping bird could be heard from it. It was, as she had expected, a beautiful day. She only wished that she could enjoy it.

It was interesting. Mother Nature seemed to be trying extra-hard to cheer Yuna up. The weather on Besaid since she had returned had been just gorgeous. Not too hot, not too cold, but warm. Just right. But in the end, it didn't help Yuna. It didn't mean much. Her friends were trying to help her too. So were the people of Spira in general. Everyone who has tried to help her only ended up causing her pain. Tidus the most. Oh yes, Tidus, her guardians, Mother Nature, and all of Spira have been trying to help her get over Tidus. But for her, they were rubbing salt in her wounds.

But then, she reconsidered. They were doing all this because they cared. All of the consoling, the gift-giving, the cards, and the kindness was out of the want to make her troubled life a little bit easier. They didn't want to hurt her, but were trying to help because they themselves couldn't bear to see Yuna this sad. She knew that things had not been the same since Tidus's disappearance. Even her guardians had become more somber than they had been previously (which meant that Auron had hardly said a word lately). It was saddening to them not only that Tidus was gone, but that Yuna continued to mourn him. Overall, Tidus's death affected not just Yuna, not just her friends, but all of Spira itself.

But the worst part of the whole thing for Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku, was that she continued to hope. Every night, Yuna would go out to for a walk, back to the dock and on the ship where she and Tidus had first gotten to know each other. She would go to the bow of the ship and whistle, just as Tidus had taught her in Luca, so long ago. The whistling could be heard at few-minute intervals for hours on end. This, more than anything else, was what made it hard for Yuna's closest friends.

Yuna knew that by whistling she was only making things harder on herself. But she was a hoper, a dreamer. She thought that the permanent destruction of Sin was impossible, but she had done it. They had purged Spira of Sin forever. So, what made Tidus's reappearance so impossible, compared to beating Sin? But then, there was a little voice in the farthest reaches of her mind, calling out to her. Telling her that, basically, reality was a bitch, and no matter how much she hoped that the impossible would become otherwise, Tidus would not be coming back. Not now, not ever. That voice that everybody called a conscience had to remind her of that constantly. But Yuna ignored it. She hoped that it was wrong, hoped that she was wrong. She hoped that once again, she could defy reality.

Her sobbing continued.

> > > > >

She could hear the hiccuping through the thin wall that separated her room from Yuna's. It wasn't the most pleasant sound in the world. But there was so much emotion in those sobs, she could tell even through the wall. It was a sound that Rikku had grown used to by now, unfortunately. And even more so, she was always one to wake up after Yuna. Every morning since she had arrived in Besaid, she would wake up to Yuna's sobbing. Every now and then it even caused her to tear up and get a clenched throat.

She sat up in bed, the sheets tickling her bare skin. She grabbed one sheet and hugged it to her chest. It was slightly chilly out, and she didn't want anybody barging in on her while she was still in bed. However, she didn't feel like getting up just yet. There was no real reason to; she was still tired and had only just woke up. But Yuna sounded so sad . . . Rikku felt that she should at least comfort her.

Changing her mind, Rikku let go of the bedsheet and swung it back. She hopped out of bed. The floor was cold, and it almost instantly chilled her feet. Quickly she padded across her small room and opened her dresser to pick out what she would wear today. She ended up choosing her favorite pair of short orange shorts, and a navy blue sleeveless top that hugged the curvatures of her body and fell short of her waistline about three inches. Some had said that she dressed like a skank, but she and her friends knew otherwise. Her friends knew her as the optimistic, lively girl who always had a smile on her face and had a knack for cheering people up.

She ended by putting on some white socks and her usual pair of boots she had acquired at Home long ago. The sobs could still be heard in the background. Briefly catching her own eye in the mirror, she turned about and walked toward her bedroom door. It had a nasty habit of creaking when she least expected it to, so she opened it very carefully so as to not wake up Lulu and Wakka down the hall. When the space was wide enough, she slipped through the door.

> > > > >

How long had she stood at this windowsill, crying? Half an hour? Maybe forty minutes?

However, she wasn't finished. Rubbing her red eyes for the umpteenth time, she resumed her crying. She missed him so much. His gentle touch, his reassuring words, his promises of showing her the Zanarkand that he knew, and his bright, happy-go-lucky face. And she knew almost for certain that he would never come back. She would never see his Zanarkand. She would only see his face, remember his touch, and hear his words in her memory. And it hurt. Oh, it hurt so badly.

"Yunie?"

Yuna knew who it was before even turning around. Only one of her friends called her that. She turned, and saw Rikku standing in the doorframe, looking apprehensive. If Yuna had been in a better state of mind, she would have complimented her on her attire. But all she did was stare. Without waiting for a response, Rikku walked across the room and enveloped Yuna in a hug. Naturally, this only heightened the intensity of Yuna's crying, but Rikku didn't care. She was her cousin.

"Shhhh, Yuna, it's okay," the younger girl muttered, holding Yuna closer. "That's it. Let it out. Let it all out."

They must have stood there for at least five minutes before Rikku decided it was best if they both sat down on the bed. Guiding Yuna over, they both eased down. Rikku sat in silence, listening to her older cousin weep. It tore at her heartstrings; she had never seen anybody this sad. But she could understand. She had shed her own tears over Tidus. There was no way you couldn't be drawn to him in some way. He had a way with people, always trying to cheer them up, always making them feel important and included. He wasn't the smartest kid around, but that didn't matter. His heart was in the right place.

Rikku had ended up admitting to herself that she, in some small way, loved Tidus as well. He was the only guy on the pilgrimage who would actually make conversation with her, the only one who didn't seem to hold any grudges against her or make any judgments about her. She was sure that back on Zanarkand, there were plenty of girls who had wanted to date him. Not just because he was famous, but because of his personality. He was an easy man to fall in love with.

"T-thanks, Rikku," Yuna said, startling the Al Bhed out of her reverie.

"No problem!" Rikku said, spirits lifting now that Yuna was actually saying something. "You just got my shirt wet, is all," she added, giggling a little bit.

"Sorry," Yuna muttered.

"Sorry for what?"

"For getting y-your shirt wet."

"It's fine," Rikku said, casually dismissing it with a wave of her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Lousy," Yuna replied, cracking a smile.

Rikku chuckled. "Well, I guess so. Your face is really red."

"I must look terrible," Yuna said. "Look at me. I'm still wearing my nightgown."

"Get cleaned up and come have some breakfast," Rikku said.

"Have you eaten already?"

"No, but I'm betting Auron has. He's probably not too pleased that we didn't show up."

"I'll have to explain why, and apologize," Yuna said distractedly, wiping her face with the nightgown.

"You don't need to apologize," said a low voice to her right.

Startled, both Rikku and Yuna spun around. Auron stood leaning against the doorframe, left arm in his sling as usual. The sunglasses on his face were at the very edge of his nose, so that he could peer over them when need be. Yuna had theorized that ever since he was injured by Yunalesca while on his own pilgrimage, he had become light-sensitive. Nevertheless, the glasses added to his tough and to-the-point disposition.

"Ah!" Yuna said in surprise. "Sir Auron . . . I didn't know that you were standing there . . ."

"Obviously not," Auron replied. "I just came to inform you that breakfast is ready."

"Thank you, Sir Auron," Yuna replied.

"Stop calling me that," Auron said slightly harshly. "I'm your friend now, not your guardian." Yuna said nothing. She often didn't know what to say when Auron was around. He stepped into the room and sat down next to Yuna. There was what seemed to be a very long pause.

"I realize how you are feeling," he said after a minute. "I was once young like yourself, hard as you may find that to believe." Here he smiled slightly.

"Yeah," Yuna agreed, smiling herself.

"But you've got to stop apologizing for everything," Auron said. "You take the blame for everything and that isn't healthy." He paused. "Life has thrown many twists at me, and has led me to sum it up in this quote." Yuna listened. So did Rikku. "'Should have' is the past. 'Is' is the present. 'Will have' is the future. We learn from the 'will have', and we think about the 'is'. And we use it to plan for the 'will have'."

"That seems to fit," Rikku said energetically.

"If you mourn Tidus like this, you'll dig yourself a pit of sorrow and depression that you won't be able to climb out of," Auron continued, staring seriously at Yuna. "Be careful and look to the 'will have'. There's still a chance for everything. You, Spira and even Tidus. You would do well to remember that," he finished.

"I will," said Yuna.

"Realize that Wakka, Lulu, Rikku and I are here to help," said Auron. "In any way we can. Just say the word." He then got up, and motioned for Rikku and Yuna to do the same. "The bacon's getting cold. Come, Wakka and Lulu are waiting at the table. Let's go get a bite to eat."

> > > > >

"Just now, you sounded like a leader, you know?"

"Cry, cry, cry, that's all you're good for!"

"Now is the time to shape your stories!"

"You don't want to finish that sentence."

"Save some for Kimahri!"

"This is your world now."

"Long as we do our best, I can walk away happy."

"Maester Seymour!"

"You really do come from a world where there is no Sin, as you say."

So many voices . . . so many faces . . . he couldn't match them all with their owners. He tossed and turned, not able to focus on any one thing. This was all so confusing . . . what was going on? Who were these people? Why did they look familiar? His head was starting to hurt. In his sleep, he subconsciously grabbed his head and began to convulse violently.

"I . . . I love you!"

Who was that again?

"AAAUGH!" he screamed, jerking his head up.

Ah, it was just a dream.

And then he remembered who they were. He sat up, the voices of his friends still resounding in his head. Where were they? Where was he? He wished he had an answer to those two questions. But has he sat up and looked around, he realized that he had no clue where he was or even what he was. 'I love you' . . . some of Yuna's last words to him as he disappeared. He was sure that she was heartbroken, and it wasn't her fault. It wasn't his fault either.

Soon after thinking this, he felt his emotions changing from confusion and worry to anger and resentment. He was just a dream, ha! That was total bullshit. He was alive! He had to be. He was sitting up, going through conscious thought, moving, and otherwise carrying on the basic functions of intelligent life. Where was that boy anyway? The little fayth who first appeared to him on the deck of the ship in Zanarkand. If Tidus could find him and talk to him, maybe he could get this whole thing straightened out. Maybe he could become more than he was said to be, a dream. Maybe . . . maybe he could see Yuna again.

"You won't."

Tidus whirled around. It appeared that he didn't have to look very far to find the little boy. The Fayth of Bahamut was floating before him. Tidus looked up at the boy, still in his hooded purple garments, still with the serious look on his face that didn't seem to belong with a boy so young. Tidus wasn't sure what to make of what he said. Had he been speaking aloud? No, that wasn't it. Apparently this little Fayth knew how he was feeling.

"Where am I?"

That was the question that kept running through Tidus's head. He was laying on the ground in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Fog surrounded him on all sides. Thin fog, not the dense stuff where he could barely make anything out. There was also a greenish light emitting from far off in the distance, all around. The place, wherever and whatever it was, had a mystical appearance about it. Occasionally, Tidus could see a pyrefly hovering about. Was this the Farplane? His thoughts were interrupted by the boy's answer.

"You're nowhere. And yet, you're everywhere."

"Huh?"

"You're nothing. And everything."

"Don't confuse me kid, I'm flustered as it is."

The Fayth smiled. "What I say is very straightforward. You don't exist, and yet you're here. Which means . . . well, what do you think it means?"

Tidus was quickly becoming irritated. "I don't know. But start making sense, and fast." He noticed his sword lying next to him.

"You wouldn't kill me," said the boy. "You couldn't anyway. I don't exist, remember? And neither do you."

Tidus opened his mouth to respond, but his words stopped short at his throat. He was so confused and so angry that he didn't know what to spit out and in what order. Nothing was making sense, and he wanted to know exactly what was going on. He wanted to know where he was. But most of all, he wanted to see Yuna and the rest of his friends. In the end, he decided it best to ask more questions in the hope that he might make sense of something, at least.

He repeated his question. "Where am I?"

"Stuck," said the boy lightly. "You're stuck between reality and a dream. Stuck between existence and nonexistence. We all are."

"So I'm not alive, and yet . . . I'm not dead?"

"Well, **that** is an interesting question, isn't it?" The boy looked down at him, smiling in a slightly mischievous way.

"Very," said Tidus sarcastically. "Am I alive or not?"

"Oh, well, you see, my friend," the Fayth said, "you jumped ship right before you disappeared. You fell and fell. It was a one-mile drop." He paused. "And then you came here. So, you were still existing when you fell."

Tidus didn't like where this was going. "So I fell . . . and then . . . I don't remember anything."

"That's because, my confused friend," the Fayth said, "you are quite, quite dead."

* * *

Well, was it okay? Drop your comments in the review box and let me know. It would be much appreciated. Anyways, take it easy and I'll see you on the next go-around. 

SirGecko

* * *


	2. Power Awaiting

Hello again, my friends. Sorry I took so long to update, I was on vacation and had no time to work on the story. Anway, I'm glad that those who reviewed enjoyed the beginning of what I hope will become a rather lengthy story. However, there were some things that I neglected to explain and/or didn't clarify. Allow me to do that now.

This story is slightly AU. It doesn't conform to Final Fantay X's exact storyline in the fact that Auron didn't die. Instead, he was injured by Yunalesca. I made this change not only because Auron is my favorite character, but because I saw no benefit to his death. It didn't help the story along at all. And so, I felt that by bringing him back, he might develop into something more.

And now, I respond to the reviews. Always. I think it makes the reader fell more connected to the writer, more involved with the story.

bbychrangel: I'm glad it touched you in that way. That was my intent. But you wait no longer, this is what happens.

CyanideSmiles: I hope that what I said above cleared some things up for you. Sorry about my vagueness. Anyway, I'm glad that you're so fervently believing in this story. It makes me feel good to have such a good start to a new area (to me) of I don't know though . . . Auron being the best cook kinda clicked in my head . . . maybe it's a weird idiosyncracy I have. Oh well . . . here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy!

Shadygt09:Some people don't like the sap, but that's okay. As long as you extract what you like from the chapter, that's the important thing. Stay interested! Here's the next chapter.

mandyfanforevr: Thank you. I like making convoluted plot lines.

Well, I won't keep you waiting.Chapter two is waiting for you! (oh God, I rhymed again . . .)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Power Awaiting**

Hand-in-hand, Wakka and Lulu strolled the path along Besaid Falls. It was very soothing and refreshing, the falls making the rushing sound as the water fell to the ocean below. Mist came off the falls and hovered in the air. As a result, the two were pretty well-misted by now. Lulu's jet-black hair had gradually grown shinier and shinier with dew, and Wakka looked as though he were sweating. It was a warm day out, and the mist was a welcome asset to their walk today. Both Wakka and Lulu always took a walk down to the beach at about this time. It was really the only time that they could spend alone together, so they made sure to enjoy every minute of it.

Today though, their walk seemed to be progressing a little slower than usual. The morning hadn't necessarily been the best. Both were eating breakfast when they saw Auron, Rikku and Yuna enter the small kitchen, Yuna's eyes red once again. Wakka had tried to console her, but that only seemed to make matters worse. Immediately after, she said that she had to use the restroom, and they could definitely hear her sobbing again as she ran down the hall. She did not return to the table. Naturally, this made Wakka feel terrible. Auron had shot a reproving look his way, but said nothing. Eventually Rikku left too, probably to go comfort Yuna. And as it was early in the morning, it was Wakka, Lulu and Auron left at the table, eating their eggs and bacon in silence. It was so like the breakfasts they had on previous days . . . Yuna had made it through the whole way only once.

Both adults had known Yuna for almost eleven years. There was nobody on Spira that knew her better than Wakka and Lulu. And in those eleven years, they had never seen her as sad as they did now. She barely said a word, the smile that was always on her face was gone. Her radiant happiness and steadfastness that had surrounded her like invulnerable auras on her pilgrimage had disappeared. Disappeared and replaced with the exact opposite: depression and lassitude. It wasn't the Yuna that they knew. They wanted the old Yuna back.

"Do you think she'll ever get over him?" Wakka asked. "I mean, he was like a brudda to me too, but . . ."

"I had hope in the beginning that she would, but I'm starting to second-guess myself," Lulu sighed. "I mean, it seems like it's gotten worse. It's as if her emotions were a balancing scale, with hope on one side and depression on the other. And with every day that goes by, hope is taken away. Therefore, the scale gets heavier on the other side."

"The depressed side," Wakka said.

"Yes," was all Lulu said.

They walked in silence for a minute or so. Soon they would come to the beach. "Lu?" Wakka said, turning to her.

"Hm?"

"I'm afraid, ya?"

Lulu turned to him, shocked. It wasn't like Wakka to admit feeling. "Of what?"

"Not of," Wakka corrected. "For. I'm afraid for Yuna."

"She can take care of herself," said Lulu reassuringly. "She did manage through all the hardships on the pilgrimage, remember?"

"Yeah, but . . ." Wakka said, struggling to find the correct words to describe his thoughts, "the pilgrimage had an end to it. We got to Zanarkand, we beat Sin, it's over, ya?"

"What's your point?" Lulu interrupted.

"Well, unlike the pilgrimage, I can't see an end to her sorrow. Not unless Tidus somehow comes back-"

"Doubtful," Lulu said.

"-or she finds a way to end it herself. Like . . . well, you know, Lu? What I mean?" Wakka finished, as though pleading with her to understand so he wouldn't have to finish his thought.

"Suicide?" Lulu guessed. Wakka, looking apologetic, nodded. "Don't even think about that. How could you even consider that?" she asked, appalled. "Yuna would never commit suicide. She's too strong for that. Too young, innocent and pure to do that."

"But Tidus . . . he left a big impression on her, ya?" Wakka countered. "He left a big impression on me. I think he did on all of us."

"He was a good friend and a joy to be around," Lulu replied. "But I wouldn't kill myself over him! I didn't kill myself over Chappu!"

"But you and Yuna are different people," Wakka argued. "She probably handles grief differently than you, ya? And probably not as well." Lulu said nothing, so Wakka continued. "After Tidus came up with the plan where she didn't have to die to defeat Sin, she probably imagined spending the rest of her life with him. Loving him . . . starting a family with him, you know?" All Lulu could do was nod.

They had, by now, reached the beach. Choosing their favorite little alcove on the far side of the beach, opposite the docks, they sat down there together. 'Loving him, starting a family with him . . .' that's what Lulu hoped to do with Wakka. She couldn't imagine losing him on top of Chappu. It had taken her three years to let go of Chappu and accept the fact that Wakka loved her. Now, she was remembering how happy she was when she and Chappu were together. How she felt with Chappu and how she felt with Wakka were one and the same. But now, with the issue with Yuna, she could feel the bliss ebbing away like so much jetsam in the tide.

Wakka settled himself down on the sand, cross-legged, looking out at the sea. The tide was low. When the waves trickled onshore, they would deposit some foam. And then, when the wave returned, it would scoop up the foam and take it back out to sea, only to leave some behind in its place. Wakka sighed and patted his lap, inviting Lulu to sit. She obliged and sat on his legs, her own off to the right side, just as they were when she was riding the speeder with Tidus. Wakka wrapped his arms around Lulu's waist and pulled her closer to him, as though he was hugging a cat he had thought long-gone. She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

They sat there in silence for the longest time. Wakka had his left arm around Lulu's waist, his right hand toying with the sticks in her hair. Lulu knew that he was trying hard to not make this time that they spent together as tense. That was fine by her. Silence was cleansing. It allowed the mind to flow, to gather thoughts, to become aware of the senses. Eventually, it overtook her, and she fell asleep. Wakka, hearing her altered breathing, took that opportunity to kiss her forehead and then lean back against the earthy wall.

"I love you, Lulu."

> > > > >

Auron and Yuna were standing at the sink, clearing away the remnants of breakfast in silence. Yuna had finally returned to the table, only to declare that she wasn't hungry. She paid no attention to the look that Auron shot her, a look mixed with disapproval and worry. Instead she busied herself with helping Auron clear the table, and now they were finishing the last of the dishes. They worked in silence, not saying a thing to each other. It was probably better that way, too. It was a few minutes later that Auron finally broke the uneasy silence.

"Thanks," said Auron after they were finished clearing the dishes.

"No problem," Yuna replied, turning and going to her room.

Auron followed her. "Yuna, it's time you worked on what needs to be done," he said. "The ceremony is tomorrow."

"Sir Auron . . . no, I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Auron, I'm nervous. What if they don't like what I have in mind?"

"Then they don't like what you have in mind," Auron stated firmly. "The people chose you to be the President of Spira. And personally, I think your ideas are for the better of Spira. We need change to come to the world, or we'll never get past the days of Sin."

"You're right," Yuna said, nodding. Then, an idea struck her. "Auron, can I ask you a favor?"

"Certainly."

Yuna took a deep breath. "Would you . . . would you write my acceptance speech for me?"

Auron, the legendary guardian of Spira, was taken aback. "Pardon me?"

"Well," Yuna began tentatively, "it's just that I've never been that great a writer. I can think of things to say when people ask me, but I'm too worried that my nerves would make me stutter if I tried to, uh . . . 'wing it'."

Auron did his famous grunt. "Hmph," he said. "You'd probably find yourself in quite a fix that way. But why me?"

"Haven't you heard yourself?" Yuna said. "You're wonderful at saying things. An ordinary sentence or statement is given new life when you say it. You can connect with people. You make them realize things about themselves and the world around them in a way that nobody else could explain it. And if you're as good at speaking as we all think, you're probably an even better writer."

Yuna paused. "All I'm saying is . . . I trust you to do this, and I want you to do this. Please?" she finished.

Auron said nothing for a moment, Yuna watching him apprehensively all the while. He seemed to be thinking. By now, the two had entered her room. Or almost . . . Auron was once again leaning against the doorframe. And slowly, very slowly, a smile was beginning to creep across the veteran guardian's face. Yuna was slightly confused. Of all the facial expressions imaginable, she couldn't understand why the one to surface on Auron's face would be a smile.

She didn't have to wonder for long however, because Auron broke the uneasy silence. "It's funny how other people can bring new parts of somebody else to light that that person didn't even know about," he said, chuckling.

"Pardon?" said Yuna, tilting her head slightly to one side. "I don't understand."

"I had no idea you thought so highly of how I communicate," Auron replied simply. "I thank you for the compliment." He paused. "Now it's my turn. What **you** don't know is that you're no less talented with touching people than I am. You're just not confident in yourself."

"I know," said Yuna.

"That's got to change," said Auron. "And I'm telling you this because you need to hear it. When you make a decision, you have to be confident in that decision and extend that aura of confidence to the people so that they feel comfortable with the choice."

"I understand," said Yuna.

"I'll write your acceptance speech," Auron said. "But this will be the only speech I'll write for you. The rest you're going to have to figure out for yourself."

Yuna rushed up to Auron and hugged him. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Auron said. "Now, I will retire to my study. The burden is on me now. I must think. Tell Rikku she is not to disturb me."

"I will," said Yuna. "Where is she anyway?"

"She went down to the beach to contact Cid," Auron responded. "He'll be picking us up sometime tomorrow afternoon. That means we all must be ready by tonight."

"I agree," Yuna said. "After all, if we wait until morning, we might forget something important."

"Right," Auron said, turning to leave. "Oh, and Yuna?"

"Yes?"

"Try to get a good night's rest tonight. You look like you could use it."

"I could," Yuna sighed. "I'll try. But, I don't know . . . I-I'm sorry . . ."

She was remembering Tidus again. Not knowing how to react, Auron quickly retreated to his study. He felt bad for her, but there wasn't much he could do to comfort her. He didn't know how, quite frankly. Relationships had never been his forte, out of fear that this very situation just might occur in his life. He was afraid that he would react like Yuna . . . so he learned not to even let himself get attached. Auron knew that it cost him much, and it made him seem like a cold man at heart, but celibacy was a lifestyle he was used to by now.

He had reached his study. The room was small and plain, just enough to suit Auron's immediate needs. A small desk with sheets of paper scattered across it rested against the right wall. A small cot was positioned in the far corner. The walls were an eggshell color and there was one window, off to the side of the cot and facing the north. His bottle of sake lay on the nightstand next to his bed. Auron liked his room like that. Small and bare, it minimized any distractions from the tasks at hand.

And that would definitely come in handy now.

Auron pulled out the antique wooden chair from underneath his desk. The wheels that made moving it easier squeaked as it rolled across the hardwood floor. Auron sat down in the chair and swept off all his notes to the side. He had more notes to make. But first: Yuna's speech. He drew out a feather pen and a bottle of ink. After that was situated, he rifled on the top of his desk for a blank sheet of paper. The paper was ready to go, and he was ready to write. Dipping the tip into the jar, he poised the pen over the paper and scratched out the first lines of the speech.

Today . . . is a day that will be remembered by Spira for ages to come . . .

> > > > >

Wakka woke later with a severe cramp in his neck. He had apparently drifted off to sleep with Lulu, and his head had drooped into an unnatural position soon afterward. Lulu was still asleep in his lap. She had slid down to where her head was resting on his left leg. Wakka smiled down at her peaceful face. She looked so calm, so free of spirit in this state. He wished that he had as many untroubled sleeps as she did. Wakka was a light and restless sleeper. Woken easily, he hadn't had an uninterrupted sleep in a very long time.

Wakka gritted his teeth and slowly raised his head. It hurt like Hell, but when his head had been facing the ground for at least two hours, it was to be expected. He moved it as much as the pain would allow. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. But as he looked ahead, he realized just how long he had been sleeping. The sky was blood-red. Rays from the dying sun flew to greet his eyes from between the clouds, dancing and reflecting off the ocean. The whole sky, lit up by different shades of red from the sun, which was to Wakka's back, mesmerized him. He had to wake up Lulu for this.

"Lu?" Wakka whispered. She began to stir. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Wakka?" she mumbled. Her head turned to face him, and she opened her ruby-red eyes. Then, a smile caressed her face. "What do you want?"

"We slept in kinda late," Wakka chuckled. "But feast your eyes on this sunset!"

Lulu sat up and looked up at the sky, out toward the ocean. Immediately, Wakka heard a sharp intake of breath. It was almost hypnotic. Lulu felt her eyelids growing heavy again as she stared out into the distance. The water, undisturbed by the calm breeze that was blowing, reflected the sky like a giant mirror. The ocean, the sky, almost everything before Lulu's eyes was a beautiful red color.

But then, Wakka broke her from her reverie. "It's really late. We should probably be heading in. Auron promised some steaks tonight, and I don't feel like missing that, ya?"

Lulu put her hand up to her forehead as she always did when she felt exasperated. "We've rarely seen a sunset like this, and you're thinking about Auron's steak?"

"Well, I . . ." Wakka started. Then he sighed. "Yeah, I guess I was."

Lulu shook her head. "At least we could stay here a few more minutes. After all, this is probably going to be the last Besaid walk we'll have for quite some time."

"Ah, you're right," Wakka said. "That new gig Yuna's got for us."

"It's not a 'gig'," Lulu scoffed. "It will become one of the most important jobs in Spira. Remember, it's our job. We're doing it together."

"And that's the only reason I accepted," Wakka said, smiling down at her. "At least we can shoulder the burden that way. We always have in the past, eh?"

Lulu said nothing, but stood up shaking her head. She wasn't angry at Wakka, not at all. On the contrary, she felt kind of sorry for him. Sometimes, she didn't understand how he was able to put up with her. No matter how she treated him, the man she loved looked past that to understand what she was really trying to say. Take now, for instance. Lulu wasn't trying to demean Wakka for only thinking about food. Rather, she wanted to stay with him to enjoy the sunset. Lulu mentally kicked herself for being so harsh again.

"I- I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Sorry for what, Lu?"

"For snapping at you again," she said.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Wakka replied, brushing it off. "It's you. I don't mind it, really. I know you mean differently right there." He pointed to her chest where her heart was.

'It's you.'

"I have a favor to ask you, though." Wakka continued. "It's an important favor, one that may affect whether or not I spend the rest of the evening with you."

"Hm?" Lulu said distractedly.

Wakka grunted. "Would you help me up?"

Lulu laughed for the first time in quite a while, and extended her hand.

> > > > >

Dead?

The word rung in Tidus's ears like a cymbal. Dead. It was such a definite, final word. But . . . how could he be dead? He was standing, thinking, and breathing. It didn't make sense. More than that, it wasn't fair. He had a plan to keep him and Yuna living together for the rest of their lives. A plan to banish Sin from Spira not just for five years, not just for ten years, but for good. Infinity was a big number.

Of course, he knew he couldn't spend that amount of time with Yuna. However, he had hoped that what little time he did have on Spira, he could spend with Yuna. She and Wakka were the first people that made him feel at home, away from home. Tidus knew that sounded strange, but he couldn't figure out any other way to describe how they made him felt on his first days in Spira. Wakka was his best friend now, Auron was like his father, Lulu and Rikku were also good friends, and Yuna . . . well, 'love' wasn't a decent enough word to describe how he felt about Yuna. But now, he was dead. He would never see them again, according to the Fayth.

"Dead?" Tidus repeated the word timidly.

"Oh yes, quite dead," the Fayth replied. "You died before coming here. The fall instantly killed you; there was nothing I or any of the others could do."

"'I died before coming here,' you said," Tidus quoted. "Where is 'here'?"

The Fayth sighed. "I believe I've already answered that question."

"That doesn't tell me anything!" Tidus shouted, patience finally running out. "Start making sense, damn you!"

"You're neither here nor anywhere else," Bahamut replied. "We're all shadows, memories . . ." here the Fayth paused, and a cryptic smile spread across his face. "and . . . dreams." The Fayth emphasized the last word.

Tidus lost it. Springing up and grabbing his sword, he screamed, slicing through the air and into the Fayth's body. However, the sword acted as though it was just cutting through air. It went straight through the little boy's body, not even phasing the boy. Tidus continued to swing the sword wildly, not necessarily aiming the sword at the Fayth anymore. He was channeling his anger into his swings, making it look as though he were dueling with a nonexistent entity. Tidus's rage lasted for about a minute before he collapsed to the ground, panting. And for all that time, Bahamut just stood there, watching, amused.

"Apparently the pilgrimage taught you something about how to use a sword," said the Fayth.

"Shut up!" Tidus hissed from where he lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

The Fayth ignored him. "Well . . . we've gone a long ways, haven't we? From Nothing to Nowhere. I guess I wasn't able to make myself clear enough to you."

Tidus threw up his hands. "You just now realized that!" he said.

Once again, Bahamut ignored his outburst. "Let me try a new approach. Maybe it will be easier for you to realize why you're here if **I** ask the questions, not you."

"Whatever," Tidus said, sitting up. "Just as long as I understand one damn thing about what's going on, I'll be happy."

"So," the Fayth said, sitting down cross-legged across from Tidus. "Let's begin." Tidus said nothing, but watched the boy warily. "They're personal questions. I hope you don't mind."

"Does it look like I care?" Tidus said. "Make your point!"

"Well, why do you want to live so badly?" The Fayth asked.

"Who doesn't want to live?" Tidus asked.

"Those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for something greater and more important," the Fayth replied. "Those who see more benefit in helping the living through death. I am- was, a prime example."

"Oh," was all Tidus could say. "But that could be switched to mean the exact same thing!"

"Pardon?"

"What if someone sees more benefit from living than dying? What if that person could benefit Spira more through life than death?"

The Fayth paused, and smiled thoughtfully. "You are referring to yourself when you say this, aren't you? You want to live simply because you're afraid of dying, aren't you?"

Tidus reeled back. "I- ah- uh . . . no," he lied.

This fayth wasn't stupid. It was very true that Tidus was afraid of dying. Twice, he had lost people he loved and the land he was used to. Twice, he had to endure the pain and suffering of having to get used to everything again. And twice, it was the cause of only one being that had caused him so much pain. Sin tore him away from Zanarkand, and then it tore him away from Spira in a similar manner. Away from everything he knew.

"You're a poor liar," the Fayth added. "Although I liked the bit about conforming what, I said to fit you, that was clever."

"I swear. There's more to it!" Tidus said. "I- I miss those who are still on Spira. I want to see them again."

"You're . . . not going to become a fiend, are you?" Bahamut questioned.

"I said I **miss** them, I'm not jealous of them," Tidus snapped. "There is a difference."

"You're right, for once," said Bahamut.

Something clicked in Tidus's memory. Where had he heard that before . . . he knew the quote sounded familiar . . . who said it? And then, he remembered. On the boat from Kilika to Luca, Wakka and Lulu were talking on deck and Tidus was eavesdropping on the stairs next to them. She had said that after Wakka said "It's up to Yuna and Tidus to make that decision" or something like that. He couldn't remember exactly. But now he at least knew how Wakka felt when Lulu made that remark.

"So, you want to see your friends again?" Bahamut said. "I'm sure I could ask any other dream like you the same question, and they'd all respond with your answer."

"So?" Tidus said childishly, folding his arms.

"What's special about your ties to your friends? Is there anything more to your feeling?" The boy asked.

"I- really want to see Yuna again," Tidus admitted, letting his arms fall and his head droop, as though he were ashamed of admitting it.

"As do many others who've been separated from loved ones," the Fayth responded. "Now you're not answering **my** question. What's so special about your friends? Why do you hope that by talking to me you'll see them again?"

"Because you appeared to me on Zanarkand," Tidus said. "You showed me the truth about my father, about Auron, and about my ties to a future Spira. You can show me a way to get back with my friends. I know you can."

Bahamut smirked. "It's amazing . . . the delusions that hope can create in one's mind. But let's not worry about that."

"Please, I know you can!" Tidus begged. "I love her! Why do you tear her away from me like this?"

"Suddenly," the boy said dramatically, "the blame took a 180-degree turn from Sin to the Fayth who first appeared to him in Zanarkand."

"You know what I mean!" Tidus shouted.

"Naturally," the boy smiled. "You want to see Yuna very badly. But just how badly do you want to see her?"

"Huh?" Tidus asked blankly.

"Would you go to the ends of the earth for her? Would you do what she requests?" the Fayth questioned.

"I would die for her," Tidus said firmly.

Here, Bahamut actually laughed. "But you see, my friend, you've already done that!"

Tidus opened his mouth to shoot something back at the annoying little fayth, but stopped short when he realized that Bahamut was right. In reality, he had died for her. By changing her plans to acquire the Final Aeon, he had ultimately sacrificed his life to save hers. He hated it when he didn't realize that he was wrong. It always made him look stupid.

"Okay, you're right. I did die for her. But . . . I want to live for her too!"

It was here that Bahamut's satisfied smile faded. For the first time since he and Tidus had started talking, he began to look serious. Apparently Tidus's last sentence had struck home with him. In reality, it was just what the little boy wanted to hear. He was tired of people saying that "I would die for him/her." Many people said that; it was the easy and deceptive way for people to show care. But to live for someone who was dying would be an even harder, more noble task. Was Tidus willing to do this?

"You would live for her?" Bahamut repeated.

"Yes!" Tidus said.

"If she wanted to die, die to protect you, would you heed her sacrifice, knowing that her wish was fulfilled?"

"I would, yes," said Tidus firmly.

"Even though you'd be compelled to ignore her wishes and sacrifice yourself for her life, again? You would still . . . live for her?"

"Yes, I would live for her," said Tidus, in the most sincere voice he could muster.

Bahamut said no more. He walked up to Tidus and placed his small hand on his shoulder. Tidus, startled by this sudden action, jerked back, but the Fayth pulled him forward so that his hand could rest on Tidus's shoulder. A white light began to envelop both of them. It was dim at first, but then it intensified in brightness. Tidus shut his eyes for fear of growing blind, but the Fayth just stood there motionless. He said only one thing before both disappeared.

"Then there may yet be hope for you and Yuna."

* * *

Well, there you have it. I hope that quenches your thirst until I update with chapter three. And please review. I know it's time-consuming and a bit of a pain at times, but it would be much appreciated. Thanks to those who do.

Until then, see you around.

SirGecko>


	3. Hidden Wisdom

Well, Hello again. And here I update with chapter three. This one developed slowly for me in my mind; I hope it turned out all right. Centering mainly on Rikku and her fear of lightning, if you understand the message that this chapter is trying to convey, then kudos to you. The big event will be chapter four.

Anyway, I shall respond to the reviews now.

BlackDemon567: Well, a familar face! How are you doing, old friend? Anyway, yeah, Yuna . . . she's a bit hard to write for, under the circumstances. But I think she has a right to be a little OOC because of what she's dealing with, and what she'll have to deal with as President of Spira. I'll try to make her seem a little bit more like the Yuna we're all used to, but there has to be a correct time for such a thing to occur. It's coming up soon, though, don't you worry!

pichublaSter: Okay, I've hopped to it. Another chapter. Enjoy!

Cluck the Chickin: I'm glad you like it! Here's another chapter for you. Enjoy it.

Well, that about covers it. I leave you now to read chapter three!

**

* * *

****  
Chapter 3: Hidden Wisdom**

Rikku awoke the next morning greeted by a different sight than what had graced her eyes on the previous morning. Instead of her room being flooded with the typical morning sunlight that was associated with Besaid, it was oddly dark in her room. But her curtains weren't drawn. Looking out the window, she saw that the isle of Besaid was currently caught in a deluge. Rain splattered against the window with such force that the girl still lying in bed was surprised that she wasn't woken earlier by the rain.

Seconds later, there was a flash that illuminated her room for a split-second.

Rikku let out a sharp cry and dove back under the covers. Lightning. It always had to be lightning, she thought bitterly. That was the icing on the cake. The rain itself was bad enough, she thought. Having lived in a desert for as long as she could remember, sun and heat were the only things she was used to. Rain was a very rare and unwelcome commodity in her life. In the desert, there was no rain, and there was no lightning. And that was the way she liked it.

'Not a great way to start the day,' she thought. 'Especially an important day like this!'

Another flash. Rikku shrieked and dived further under the covers. She lay there, breathing fast, hands clasped over her ears. Now that there was silence, she had some time to cast around for something to think about. Why did she have such a phobia of lightning? Of course, she knew the answer to that question. When that spell missed and hit her, she thought that she would die. But she also thought that she would get over it in time. And here she was, 15 years old, and she still acted as she did the day after that horrifying incident.

She was glad that none of the others saw her there, under the covers, cowering like a cornered beast. They would think her weak, afraid. Certainly too weak to handle her new position. Well, everybody except Yuna would. She was always kind and understanding. But that was just Yuna. Any other person would think it rather strange that Rikku would be hiding from a thunderstorm. And rightly so.

Quickly, she became irritated with herself. "That's it," she said to herself. "I'm going to go outside, in the rain, and take a walk. Thunderstorm and all."

As soon as she threw back the covers so that she could see around her again, another flash lit up the sky. She let out a small cry and winced. Staying in that position for a few seconds, she reconsidered her resolve. What if she wasn't ready to make such a bold move against her fear of lightning? What if she wasn't brave enough?

'If I'm not brave enough now, I never will be,' she thought. 'It's time to show this thunderstorm that I'm not afraid of it. Yeah!'

She hopped out of bed. The thunderstorm meant that it was chilly out, which also meant that her room was considerably colder than it had been on the previous morning. Hugging her arms to her chest, she walked across the room toward her dresser. The dress that she would wear to Yuna's acceptance ceremony in Bevelle lay on top. She couldn't wait to wear it, even though it would be the only time she did. An occasion such as this needed to be unique in every way possible, so she was told by Lulu a couple of days ago. Why not start with something basic?

Casting her thoughts about the ceremony aside, Rikku fished around in her dresser drawers for something to wear. In the end, she decided on a grey, loose-fitting shirt and her traditional green shorts. In addition to that, she grabbed her grey sweatshirt from the bottom of the drawer. Well . . . it wasn't really hers. Tidus had given it to her to wear on Mt. Gagazet, but he had never asked for it back. In the end, Rikku thought that she would just hold onto it until they got off the mountain. But then . . . you know.

Nevertheless, it kept her warm. She dressed and threw the sweatshirt over her head, and tiptoed across the room to her door. Opening it slowly so that it wouldn't wake the others, she padded across the hall to the door leading out of the hut. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she drew in a deep breath, which came out as a shudder. Without thinking twice about it, she turned the handle and flung herself outside. A thunderbolt greeted her. Abandoning all pretenses for being quiet, she shrieked and crouched to the ground. She had read somewhere as a child that if you stuck close to the ground, you were less likely to get hit.

After a minute or two had passed, she slowly rose to her full height again. Timidly she looked around at the sky, and out to the ocean. The sea to the south was calm, and the sky was a dull overcast grey. The sea to the north was violent, and the sky above it was frothing like the water in an unattended pot. A boiling, seething, black mass, the sky appeared to have been replaced by something similar to what she had imagined Hell to be like. Apparently this storm had just come across Besaid and was about to pass straight overhead.

'Great,' she thought. 'As if this couldn't get any harder . . .'

She extended her left leg out hesitantly and took her first step toward the path leading down to the docks and the beach. The weather remained calm for that period of time, and Rikku exhaled. She took another step. And another. And another. She continued to take similar slow, steady baby steps for the next few minutes. But before long, she was walking at a normal pace toward the beach. At the time she started up her average walking speed, she didn't even notice it. It . . . sort of came naturally. But then, after a minute or so, she noticed exactly how she was walking.

'I'm doing it,' she thought. 'I can do it! I'm walking in a thunderstorm!'

Rikku, though, failed to notice a man in a red trench coat following her.

> > > > >

Miles and miles away from Besaid, a ship streaked through the sky, barreling southward at top speed. The ship skimmed over the clouds, as a rock did when one skipped it over a pond. The ship would dip into the clouds every few minutes, and then emerge again to enter the world of sunshine above. It was as if the blanket of clouds that adorned the sky below the airship were actually the ground, and if they touched the clouds, they would crash. But no, there was another five miles of sky and clouds below them.

Cid stood watch on the bridge. He loved this airship; it was the greatest find by his people since the location for their previous Home. And now that Sin was gone and Yevon was in disarray, he was free to pilot the ship anywhere with little fear of retaliation. The ship was now the fastest way to get from one corner of the world to the other. He could make it to Besaid from the remains of Home in less than ten hours, as compared to the week it would've taken by ship. And only barring rough seas, lack of wind, and storms.

The Al Bhed were currently working on mass-producing similar airships, but with no place to work out of since the Guado's attack on Home, progress was slow. Once Yuna gave the Al Bhed funds to rebuild their Home, they could really set out to build many more airships, perhaps even bigger, better ones. Cid could feel it. With Yevon gone, and Yuna on their side, Spira was on the edge of an industrial revolution. And Cid and the Al Bhed would lead the way!

Brother suddenly spoke, landing Cid back in reality. "We are approaching Besaid. Landing in approximately one hour," he said in their native tongue.

"We're this close and we land in an hour?" Cid boomed. "What's the matter? Beach disappear on ya?"

Brother shook his head, used to Cid's sarcastic sense of humor. "No, but there is a really nasty storm over the island. It's going to take me longer to descend than normal."

Indeed, Brother was right. The further south they sped, the darker the clouds became. In fact, Brother could see far enough ahead to tell that this were about to get nasty. While they were skimming across the light blanket of white, harmless puffy clouds, a mass of towering thunderclouds loomed before them, towering into the sky. Brother had always remembered their looks by remembering the shape of an anvil. For some reason, thunderclouds looked like anvils to him.

"HAH!" Cid roared. "We won't let a little wind and rain stop us from gettin' there on time!"

"But-" Brother interjected, but Cid cut him off.

"Show me what this baby can do! Punch it!" he said.

"We're going as fast as we can!" Brother protested, calibrating some aspects of the ship from his console.

"HAH!" he roared again. "Gimme those controls. I'm gonna put this honey into a downward spiral!"

All Brother could do was shake his head again. Once again, Cid's boundless youth was shining through at its fullest. But, he obliged his older relative and surrendered the pilot's seat. Cid walked slowly over and sat down, looking around from this chair. In truth, all he had ever done was captain the ship; he had never actually flown it before. However, all he had to do was take one fleeting glance at the control panel to realize that they were not going at max speed as originally thought.

"Brother!" he said. "Come over here and take a look at this!" When he could see that the Al Bhed was next to him, he showed Brother something on the panel. "Look at this. We could've cut our time by 1/3 if you had pushed this button here. It opens the exhaust vents on the two largest rear engines and allows more flow!"

"Oh," was all Brother could say. "Sorry about that."

"Nifty, eh?" Cid remarked, slapping Brother on the back.

They were just coming up on the thunderheads now. Brother, knowing how crazy Cid could get when he was in a good mood like this, gripped the back of the pilot's seat a little harder than normal. Cid steered the ship straight at the black thundercloud, and then tapped the control on the computer that opened the last two exhaust vents. The ship lurched, and without warning, Cid rotated the directional controls so that the ship slowly began to spin.

"Cid . . ." Brother said, his voice trembling nervously.

Cid pain no attention to him. Before the rest of the passengers and the other Al Bhed flew out of their seats due to the ship being upside down, the airship began to undergo a very rapid plummet. It flew straight into the ominous thundercloud. Lightning struck all around the ship. Since Cid and Brother were on the bridge, they had the best view of the lightning display. One particularly bright bolt struck parallel to the ship's flight path, so that Brother could see the forked energy streak past him.

The ship began to shake and rumble, due to the violent surge of weather outside. Cid however paid no attention to the storm. He loved piloting this airship, almost more than he enjoyed being its captain. He jerked the controls to the right, so that the ship was plummeting to earth in a corkscrew fashion. They were dropping at a rate of about 400 feet per second, and Cid was loving every second of it.

"Cid . . . please, you're scaring me," Brother said.

"YEEHAW!" Cid shouted, laughing maniacally. "We're going in!"

> > > > >

The thunderstorm over Rikku's head was showing no signs of relenting. She scanned the skyline nervously as she approached the beach. On an ordinary day, she would have welcomed a swim near the shoreline. However, today was a day farthest from the ordinary. And the more Rikku stared at the beach, and the ocean crashing against it, the more it began to resemble the pond where she had been struck by lightning. She shuddered, and crouched close to the ground as another forked bolt zigzagged across the sky in front of her.

'When will this get easier?' she thought. 'And why am I out here?'

As she stood at the endpoint of her walk, she asked herself that question mentally. What was the purpose of defying her fear of lightning? What was she trying to prove, and to whom was she trying to prove it? Was this such a good idea after all? Was she able to lessen her fear of lightning by coming on this seemingly pointless walk, by herself, to the beach?

Her answer: probably not. Even though she had walked over a mile by now, she still didn't feel any less afraid of the weather phenomenon around her. Mentally, she scolded herself for ever thinking that one walk amongst the ravages of the aspect of nature she feared most would instantaneously solve her problem. It was like therapy, in that it was a gradual process. Not like death, an instant, finite process. This was gradual, and could even change for the worse over time. Rikku shook her head.

"I don't even know what I'm doing out here," she muttered to herself.

"I don't know what you're doing out here either," said a low, cold voice from behind her.

Rikku spun around to see the last person she ever wanted to meet on a walk in this situation. Auron stood leaning against the rock, rain dripping off his salt-and-pepper hair, his sunglasses surely inhibiting his ability to see as they were spattered with rain. He had a searching look on his face, obviously wondering what Rikku was doing outside, alone, in the middle of one of the worst thunderstorms Besaid had seen in a long time. Rikku quailed slightly under his harsh glance. She got the uneasy feeling that he didn't like her for some reason. Maybe it was because of the Thunder Plains (so like the situation now), and how all she wanted to do was flee somewhere else, and discontinue the pilgrimage.

"What **are** you doing out here?" Auron repeated, walking slowly to her. "I thought you were afraid of thunderstorms."

"I am," said Rikku.

"Hmph," Auron muttered. "I can only hope that, at some point, you'll start to make sense."

Rikku hesitated. "I wanted to confront my fear," she said finally.

Auron grunted. "Today?"

"Yeah!" she responded. "How often does Besaid get a thunderstorm?"

Auron chuckled. "Not very often. But that still doesn't excuse your behavior this morning."

"What are you, my father?" Rikku snapped back.

"It feels like it," Auron said, shrugging and turning away.

"Don't you turn away from me like this, dang it! You know I hate it when you do that!" Rikku said, running to catch up to the older man.

Auron turned around slowly. "I didn't."

"Yeah, well . . ." she said. "I'm here now. And I'm not a kid anymore."

Auron raised his eyebrows. "You're not? What would you call yourself then?"

"Responsible enough to know that I do have a reason for being out here, no matter how silly it may be, you know?"

"To confront your fear, as you said earlier?"

"Yeah!" she said. "Isn't that important?"

"It is," Auron agreed, nodding slowly. "And I'm impressed that you felt brave enough to confront it by yourself."

Rikku looked down, a mix of pride and embarrassment on her face. "Thanks," she said. "But I don't think I got anywhere with it. I'm still afraid of lightning."

"Overcoming fear isn't instantaneous," Auron said. "You're going to have to go on many more walks before you feel comfortable around lightning."

"I remember, that day when it happened . . ." Rikku said, shuddering. "The white-hot burning in my back, the spots in my eyes, the terrible heat . . . I was afraid, Auron. I thought I was gonna die."

Auron said nothing. "I thought I was gonna die . . ." she had said. Auron knew the feeling. On Braska's pilgrimage, when he had lashed out at Lady Yunalesca . . . she had struck him down with one simple stroke of her finger. He lay there, thinking that he was going to die. He wasn't much older than Rikku is now, maybe five or six years. How foolish he was then, just as Rikku was now. Foolish. But was it truly foolishness, or was it something else, something more complicated than that which Auron could explain? He couldn't even answer that question about himself, let along the shivering Al Bhed girl in front of him.

In the end, his facial expression relaxed. Right then, another lightning bolt variegated across the sky. Rikku convulsed even more, and looked around desperately for a place to seek refuge from the storm. She was tired. There would be more thunderstorms where she could try this again, but for now she just wanted to go home. She had had enough for the day. Auron, forever aware of his surroundings, read all these emotions and thoughts straight from Rikku's facial expression. She was a very easy person to read.

Auron sighed and removed his overcoat, placing it over the shivering girl in front of him. She looked at him, conveying her silent thank-you. Auron gestured toward the path leading back to the village, indicating that he felt it was time to head back. Rikku nodded and began to walk back up the path. She was starting to feel warmer already. Auron's overcoat was thick enough. Auron looked straight ahead of him, back up the path leading to Besaid, and nodded.

Rikku, forever the person who liked to get straight to the point, asked Auron a question. "Why the sudden display of affection?" she asked.

Auron looked at her. "It's not a display of affection," he said cooly. "I simply don't want you to catch cold."

"Concern, then?" Rikku persisted.

Auron's expression turned harsh. "Don't think I'm softening up," he warned. "For you to be absent during the inauguration ceremony because of a head cold is unacceptable. I'm trying to get you to abandon this walk before that happens."

Rikku shook her head. "I wonder how you got to be so mean," she said.

Auron began to laugh, an amused laugh. "Call it harsh wisdom," he said. "The world is relentless and unforgiving in the hardships it throws at people. Experience and pain are the only ways to gain wisdom and shed the youthful innocence which you possess, and I possessed." He paused. "I know this sounds harsh, but it is the absolute truth. In time, you'll come to understand what I mean."

"Well . . ." Rikku said slowly. "I understand."

Auron looked down at her. "You understand, do you? At your age?" Rikku nodded. Auron sighed and shook his head. "Then you may possess a hidden wisdom of the world."

"And for that, I pity you."

> > > > >

Half an hour later, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, Auron and Rikku stood in the living room of the hut, all dressed and ready for Cid to arrive. The girls were in their dresses, and Wakka wore a tuxedo with a black bow-tie. Auron had decided not to dress up; he would go as he was always clad. He had to endure the playful protests of Yuna, Lulu and Rikku, but he only smiled and ignored their attempts to get him to change into something different.

Lulu was wearing a simple, yet beautiful lavender dress, studded all over with genuine amethyst. The dress covered her left shoulder, leaving the right one bare. Hugging her body tightly, it fell to just above the ankle, and it had a slit running up her right leg. The gems, expertly crafted and cut, glinted in the feeble light that streamed into the room. Gloves of matching color also came with the dress, and they extended all the way up past her elbows. Lulu also wore her hair down, so that it flowed like waves over her back and shoulders. Her large bangs hid most of her facial features, giving her an even more mysterious look than usual.

Rikku's dress was bright green. It resembled a spiral-shaped candy; it seemed as though the dress was composed of two strips: one that was bright metallic green and the other a thin see-through green. Stitched together, it formed the dress Rikku was currently wearing. The beginning of the metallic strip started at her right shoulder, went over her breasts, and continued to wind its way down and around her body, stopping just above the knee. The transparent strip ran parallel to the metallic one, so that you could see her left shoulder and stomach. It fit Rikku well; she looked quite charming in a dress that color.

Yuna's dress was by far the prettiest. The actual dress itself was a shiny black color, with fake silver specks adorning the whole garment. The straps of the dress came together in a pretty knot at the back of her neck. Wakka described the dress as looking like "she had the night sky wrapped around her like a blanket." The dress also hugged her body tightly, and fell to the knee. Over the actual dress Yuna wore a gauzy, transparent navy blue body draping that fell to her ankles and extended along her arms, so that her remaining exposed skin was tinted with the blue color. Her hair was let loose to flow freely, which gave her an aphrodisiacal look.

"You three look charming," Auron said.

"Thank you," Yuna said quietly. A compliment like that from Auron was rare.

Lulu and Rikku nodded. "Yes, thank you," they said.

Rikku started jumping up and down all of a sudden. "Look!" she shouted.

In the midst of the raging thunderstorm taking place outside, they could all see a moving object far off in the distance. It was growing larger every second, meaning it was barreling straight toward the island. Indeed, it was the airship, for no bird was that large or moved that quickly. As it loomed into focus, Yuna was able to see that it was not flying normally, rather, it was spiraling straight at them. Panic flooded her mind, what if the ship was going to crash? Certainly that pattern of flight wasn't normal.

Rikku, on the other hand, laughed. "Cid's obviously flying the thing," she said.

Yuna laughed too. "Is he always that outgoing?"

"He enjoys doing crazy stuff," Rikku responded. "Like this, I mean," she added, gesturing toward the airship.

All of a sudden, the airship straightened out its flight pattern so that it was flying level with the ground. It zoomed over the hut, making the ears of those still on the ground rattle. Cid couldn't have been more than 30 feet off the ground when he flew overhead. Seconds later, the ship came back into view. It was circling above Besaid, apparently trying to lose speed before it landed. After circling the village a few times, the ship settled over the landing spot, and gently touched down, landing in the middle of Besaid Village.

Immediately after the airship landed, other villagers slowly streamed out of their huts to gather around the new arrival, and to bid Yuna farewell. They milled about, faces scrunched against the lashing rain and unrelenting wind. Obviously they didn't mind, however. Yuna's sendoff was way too important to miss because of a storm. This would be a day talked about for the next hundred years, and they didn't want to miss being part of what would become a historic sendoff.

"Let's go," Auron said. "Our ride is here."

"You have a knack for stating the obvious, ya?" Wakka cut in, chuckling.

Auron said nothing, but led the way outside. While the girls and Wakka were dashing to get inside the airship as quickly as possible, Auron walked at his usual slow pace toward the ship, paying no attention to the pounding rain once again soaking him. He sighed, thinking about how much preparation had gone into a ceremony that was to last only a few hours. He thought about his new position as the one and only Representative of Zanarkand.

He wondered how long it would all last before falling apart.

Cid was there at the entrance to greet them. "Hurry up, Auron!" he roared. "I'm gonna get flooded out!"

Auron ignored him, and continued at his usual pace before getting to the ramp. "Make your goodbyes quick, Yuna," he said to the younger girl. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Yes," she said. The crowd cheered and waved to the former summoner. "People of Besaid," Yuna started, "this isn't the first time I've left you like this. However, the reason I leave today is not to become a summoner, but to become something far more noble and encompassing of the people. When I return . . . I will return as a citizen, a diplomat, and the President of our wonderful land, Spira!" The crowd burst into tumultuous applause. "Farewell, I will return soon!" Yuna said, smiling at the crowd.

She then turned around and walked up the ramp, Auron following behind her. Cid also waved to the crowd, but said nothing. He too walked back into the ship. The ramp closed behind him, and he was greeted by an impatient and slightly dizzy Brother. Cid chuckled at the Al Bhed and patted him on the shoulder, which nearly caused him to fall over.

"We're ready to go," Cid said in Al Bhed. "The pilot's seat is all yours again."

"Sure, sure," Brother said. "Just give me a minute to figure out which way is up."

Rikku laughed. "Cid, I always told you that you're crazy."

"HAH! Thank you, kid!" Cid boomed.

"What? What did he say?" Wakka said.

Rikku turned to Wakka, and grinned. "Brother's having a joke with Cid. We should be going in just a minute."

Brother then shook his head violently, as though he were trying to shake off water. He then sighed deeply, and trudged across the bridge of the airship. Sitting down at the pilot's seat, he gently guided the ship off the ground. The people who were gathered around the ship on the ground backed up so that they wouldn't be caught under the exhaust vents on the engines. They were still waving and cheering at Yuna, who was at the window, waving back with a half-genuine, half-forced smile on her face.

"How's she been?" Cid whispered.

"Not good," Lulu admitted, shaking her head. "This is the only thing that's successfully taken her mind off him."

"That's a good thing though, right?" Rikku asked.

"Good until it wears off," Auron said. "This is only a distraction, a temporary deterrent from her sorrow. Once this is over, she'll remember, and be right back where she started."

"Quite the vicious cycle, ya?" Wakka chimed in.

"It is," Auron said. "A most unfortunate set of circumstances. In fact, I think it may be even worse for Yuna after this is over."

"Why?" Lulu asked.

"Because once she becomes President of Spira, we will have entered a new age," Auron explained. "The years to come are going to be some of the most unstable in the world's history. And Yuna will probably feel that she has to go through all that alone, since Tidus is not here with her."

"But we're her friends!" Rikku protested.

Auron smiled slightly. "You're right. We're her friends. All we can do for her is let her know that."

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Cid said.

"What's going on?" said Yuna, coming over to where the five other were discussing her.

"We were talking about the ceremony today," Lulu lied.

"I see," Yuna said, before walking off the bridge and disappearing into the corridors beyond.

"The rest of the representatives are back there," Cid said. "You should all go join them now. We'll take care of things up here."

Auron nodded and led the way for the others off the bridge of the airship. Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku followed close behind. Looking around, they noticed that the airship hadn't changed much since the last time they had been aboard. A few bouquets had been taped to the wall in a feeble attempt to spice up the atmosphere on the ship, but other than that, nothing had changed. The corridors were empty, and the soft humming of the engines could be heard in the background.

"Ah, Yuna," said a voice. Yuna turned to see Rin smiling at her. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

Back on the bridge, Cid shouted, "That's the last of 'em! Last stop: Bevelle!"

* * *

Ah, Cid . . . he's so much fun to write for. Haha.

Well, that about does it for now. I hope the chpater wasn't too harsh on you . . . it's buildup for what's to come. And since I've made it into such a big deal, I'm going to have to make sure you're getting what you promise.Ah . . . this may take awhile . . .

As per usual, please, please, please click the review button. Feedback of any sort is much appreciated, and spurs me to write more chapters faster.

That does it for me. Take it easy now, and I'll come back next time with the Inauguration Ceremony for you. Have a good one.

SirGecko>


	4. Confessions

Hey everybody. I'm updating a little sooner than intended, but this will be the last time for a little while. For details, please visit my bio.

This chapter is quite deep . . . it's sort of the final prelude into the ceremony. Auron reveals some of his troubled past, through my eyes, to you. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that . . . I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction. I know I stated previously that this chapter would be the ceremony, but I put it off for chapter five. So, try not to get angry and prejudge this. I think it's quite good. But I'll leave you to decide that.

I'll respond to my reviews now.

BlackDemon567: I'm doing great, just great. Anyways, I'm glad Yuna was in character for you. I don't know about this chapter though >looks uncomfortably around>, but I decided to give it a shot. Tell me what you think.And for an explanation about Auron, look at the Author's note in chapter two. Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you liked my Al Bhed humor.

pichublaSter: Oh come on man, it was only nine days! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyedthe last chapter. You should like this one too. Lots of Auron.

Cluck the Chickin: Thank you! Here's the next chapter for you.

hominesnocturne: Hm. You raise a good point, I didn't think of that. For now, all I can say is for you to use your imagination. Haha. I know it sounds lame,but until Ican formulate an alternative, that's the best I can offer. Oh, and I'm glad you like the plot. Thank you.

mandyfanforever:You're more than welcome. I read so many fics where the characters are just that: characters. They aren't people, they don't have a past and they don't have real emotion. I kind of try to implicate thata little in this story, to show that all characters still have room to learn, grow and develop.You'll like this chapter. It's got a bunch of that in it.

I won't delay. On with chapter 4!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Confessions**

Rin, renowned Al Bhed merchant, stood in the middle of the hallway to greet the new arrivals. His dress was . . . interesting, to say the least. He wore a suit, but the suit-jacket and the dress-pants were a vibrant yellow. Underneath that, he wore a white shirt and bow-tie, and on his feet were over-polished black dress shoes. Although yellow had been the primary color that the others knew he wore and associated him with, obviously it was more than just a coincidence.

"Hello, Mr. Rin," Yuna said, smiling.

"It's Rin, my dear Yuna," Rin corrected, bowing slightly. "How have you been?"

Yuna sighed. "I've . . . been," she said, looking down at the ground.

"Come, let's go back further," Rin said, sweeping his hand behind him. "We'll have a drink."

An little later, they were seated in one of the rooms in the middle of the airship, where several tables had recently been added. A tulip in a cheap-looking plastic vase was nestled in the middle of the table, surrounded only by the other objects currently placed there. Rin's coffee mug, along with a small shot glass of sake that Auron had, a beer for Wakka, and cider for Lulu and Rikku. Yuna drank nothing, but sat across from Rin, who had a smile on his face.

"Have things been going okay for you Yuna?" Rin pressed, taking a sip of his coffee.

"As good as can be expected," Yuna sighed.

"Ah . . . I see," was all Rin said in reply. Auron had shot him a look that said, "don't press the matter."

"Have you been back to the wreckage of home yet?" Wakka asked, taking a swig from his bottle.

"Indeed," Rin said, happy for a change of subject. "There were few casualties. Most of those people left were either already dead or had fled by other means." He shook his head. "Once again, the Al Bhed have scattered."

"Those damn Guado!" Wakka cursed, pounding the table in disgust, which caused Auron's sake to spill slightly. Scowling, Auron drew out his tankard and refilled the small cup.

"Watch your words, Wakka," Lulu warned. "Tromell is also aboard this ship."

"Have you not noticed why I'm not with the rest of the representatives?" The rhetorical question hung in the air for some time before Rin spoke again. "Though I am naturally a calm person, I do not think I could stand to be in the same room with one who helped murder my people."

"I understand," said Yuna. "What do you think will come of him once he's appointed to the Spiran Council?"

"I leave that, my dear, in your capable hands," said Rin. He had finished his coffee, and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a word with Cid. You should go meet up with the rest of the delegates."

Yuna stared after him as he exited the room, not saying a word. In fact, there was complete silence in the room for a few minutes, broken only by the sound of a glass making a clinking sound back onto the table. Yuna tore her gaze away from the door and looked at her friends. Auron had his glass in his hand, rotating it slowly in its place. He appeared to be thinking hard about something. Rikku was draining her cider glass with as much gusto as she could be pictured having. Which was quite a lot, Yuna thought to herself, smiling. Wakka had his beer to his lips, chugging the remnants of the liquid inside. Lulu's glass was already empty; she seemed to be thinking as well.

Yuna finally broke the silence. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"The council hasn't even been formed yet, and already rivalries are brewing," said Auron, finally picking up his glass and downing it in one swallow. "This is not a good omen."

"Since when have you believed in omens, anyway?" Rikku asked, licking her lips and searching for stray cider.

"Never," Auron said, getting up and walking toward the door. "All you need to use to discern people and their patterns of behavior is logic."

"Let's go, guys," Yuna said, heeding Auron's movements. "We haven't seen the others yet."

The others finished their drinks and left the room as well. Yuna led the way down the hallways of the ship. There was no sign of people aboard; all they could hear as they walked were the hum of the engines and the padding of their own tentative footsteps. Apparently the remaining delegates were at the back of the ship, where the scenic view was provided. Indeed, that's where Yuna and the others found the rest of the delegates. All people Yuna met on her journey, helped her, and had earned her trust. Belgemine was there, Shelinda was there, even O'aka XXIII, Merchant Extraordinare, had accepted a job offer from Yuna on the Spiran council as 2nd representative of the Spiran Trade Federation.

"Lady Yuna!" O'aka said, his small form scurrying over to the group. "It's good to see ye again, that it is!"

"And you too!" Yuna agreed, extending her hand.

O'aka was wearing a brown tweed suit with a pearly white dress shirt underneath and a black bowtie to go with it. It didn't fit him, as the sleeves completely hid his hands as well as his arms. There was a little red rose pinned to the jacket's left breast side, and he also wore a black bowler hat. He wore brown shoes that were two sizes too big for him. Nonetheless, it was still the same, friendly, yet cunning O'aka that they had all come to know.

"Um . . ." Rikku said, trying not to giggle.

"Oh, the suit?" O'aka said, looking at himself. "No making fun of O'aka now. I paid good money to wear this ugly thing."

Yuna laughed. She hadn't laughed in a long time. "What happened to you after we left Bevelle?" she asked.

"Those Yevon guards took all me belongings, which included me nice clothes," O'aka responded. "I'm not a merchant anymore. Can't be one without any stuff, eh?"

"How did the Yevonites treat you in jail?" Rikku asked, straight-faced once again.

"Awful," O'aka said, shaking his head. "They were talking about execution at one point, but then you caused so much trouble that they forgot all about me." He looked at Yuna.

"Well, that's . . . good, I guess," Yuna said.

"Great, more like!" O'aka said fervently. "I never got a chance to thank ye for all your help . . . it meant loads to O'aka."

"Not at all," Auron said stiffly.

"Well, I must go meet everybody else," Yuna said, ending the conversation. "It was nice seeing you again!"

"You too, Lady Yuna. You too," O'aka said, turning back to look out the window.

It was at this point that the group split up. Yuna stayed by the window while the rest went around to greet the other dignitaries. Yuna, forever lost in thought, went to the window and looked down to the ground below. It was a truly beautiful sight. The angry clouds that hung over Besaid like a blanket had disappeared, now that they were flying further north. Instead, there was a clear sky, which allowed Yuna to look to the ground far, far below. The airship was flying over the sparkling blue ocean, following the coastline of the mainland. She could see the rolling hills that the ship was flying over as well, and off in the distance, she saw the urban sprawl of Luca. They were about halfway there.

Finally, she had some time to think and relax. But naturally, only two things were on her mind: the ceremony, and Tidus. Tidus. There was no way to really describe how much she missed him. But, she couldn't cry like she had on Besaid. Her mind wasn't clear enough to focus solely on her grief. Which . . . was a good thing, in a way. However, mental clarity was one of the aspects of her mind that she enjoyed. And right now, she didn't even have a trace of it.

A lone tear was the only external sign that she had Tidus on her mind. Leaking from the blue eye, it slowly trickled down her cheek, and rested against the crook where her nose lay placed on her face. Yuna felt it tickle her sensitive skin, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. To wipe the tears was futile; they would always return. Always run in streams down Yuna's soft face. Always remind her of what she had once, but lost forever.

"Lady Yuna," said a soft, feminine voice behind her.

Yuna turned around to see Belgemine, off to her left. She too gazed out the window, and her expression was one of turmoil as well. Contrary to her facial expression, her dress was a cheerful shade of yellow, like one would find on the petal of a sunflower. Her brown hair, which Yuna had always imagined would be tied up in a bun, was instead done back into one abnormally long ponytail. It was different, but at the same time, Yuna couldn't help but notice how pretty the fellow former summoner looked.

"Belgemine," said Yuna, turning away from the beautiful scenery to extend her hand. She sniffed, managed a smile and said, "It's good to see you again. It's been too long, hasn't it?"

"Yes it has," Belgemine replied, forcing a smile in return and taking Yuna's hand.

"You seem upset," Yuna observed.

Belgemine stared at Yuna and frowned. "I could say the same about you."

Yuna let out a fake chuckle and wiped the tear away. "Oh, it's nothing," she lied. "Just a personal thing."

"I see," Belgemine said, realizing that 'nothing' obviously was 'everything' to her. But she didn't press the conversation.

"Is something wrong?" Yuna asked.

"Well . . . there is," Belgemine replied. "Would you care to join me for some tea in the lounge?"

Yuna hesitated. She had just been there with Rin, but she had nothing to drink. "I suppose so."

The two walked silently out of the room, noticing that others in the room were staring at them as they left. Yuna shifted uncomfortably as she walked out of the room, and fixed her gaze on one of the wall-mounted lights in the hallway. Belgemine looked at her with a sideways glance, and mentally nodded her head. She had every right and reason to feel uneasy. Becoming the first president of Spira since before history was recorded was undoubtedly an unnerving position. And then Belgemine had heard about Yuna losing someone very dear to her . . . perhaps that was why she seemed sad in addition to feeling apprehensive.

They reached the room that Yuna had occupied mere moments ago. Yuna sat down in the same seat she had sat in previously, and watched in silence as Belgemine stood at the counter and made the tea. It was at this time that Yuna realized Cid and the other Al Bhed had taken the time where she was gone to make the airship seem more like one that would carry a famous person. The room she was sitting in was definitely a lounge. It used to be a bare room, but now it had several tables surrounded by little chairs. The same flower adorned each table: a tulip in identical cheap vases. Yuna smiled, thinking about the gesture and what it meant to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the summoner with her in the room laid a steaming mug of strong peppermint tea in front of her. The aroma wafting from the cup smelled great. Yuna inhaled the soothing scents of the peppermint and stirred the teabag in her hand absentmindedly. It was currently too hot to drink, but just the smell of the beverage helped her relax. A few seconds later, Belgemine retrieved her own cup of tea and sat down across from Yuna. Neither said anything for about a minute; each just stared at the other, trying to see through to the other's mind.

"What I'm about to tell you is not . . . well, the most pleasant of ways for you to start of your new position." Belgemine finally broke the silence, but she spoke tentatively. "It concerns your well-being."

Yuna went slightly wide-eyed. "What's the matter?"

Belgemine took a sip of her tea and sighed before speaking again. "As you might know, the truth about Yevon has . . . well, 'died hard', shall we say, with some people. You would understand this; I'm sure you felt this way when you figured out the truth about Yevon."

"Yes," Yuna said. "Continue, please."

"Well, you were at the center of this whole thing," Belgemine said. "It's the biggest scandal we've ever seen. A scandal that has left many people frightened. Feeling alone and angry."

"Angry at me?" Yuna said.

Belgemine smiled a half-smile. "You truly are High Summoner Braska's daughter," was all she said in answer to Yuna's question. "Quick to figure things out."

Yuna knew this to mean 'yes'. Concern suddenly was added to her ever-growing list of uncomfortable emotions she was feeling at the present moment. "How bad is it out there?"

"I imagine with you back in Besaid that you haven't heard about what's been going on in Bevelle and Luca," Belgemine said. "Since I'm the future representative of Luca, I've spent quite some time there, gathering information and placing reliable sources to give me an unbiased account of what goes on."

"And?"

"Riots, my dear," Belgemine said. "There have been riots all week. With the foundation of belief vanishing for so many people, they don't know what outlet to choose for all their emotions. This includes fear and anger." Belgemine drank some more out of her glass and continued. "So, in turn, many people direct this fear and anger toward you."

Yuna sighed and rested her head in her hands. "Auron was right. I haven't even taken office yet and things are already falling apart, before I even have a chance to put things right."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Belgemine said reassuringly. "I just thought you should know a little more about what may be to come."

"Thank you," Yuna replied. "I'll keep that in mind. Do you think I should arrange for some protection?"

Before Belgemine had a chance to respond, both women heard footsteps approaching. Holding their breath apprehensively, they waited to see who appeared at the door. Yuna breathed a small sigh of relief, however, when she realized it was only Auron. He walked in the room slowly and stared at the two of them. Not hesitating, he took a chair from the nearest table and brought it over to where Belgemine and Yuna were talking.

"This is not good," was what he began with. Obviously, he had been listening closely to Yuna and Belgemine's conversation. He faced Yuna. "As I suspected, your job is not going to be easy in the times to come."

"I know, I know," Yuna mumbled through her hands. "I'd feel so much better about all this if I just had someone to talk to. If I just had . . . well . . ." Auron could hear her voice cracking.

"Excuse us," Auron said to Belgemine.

"Of course," she responded, getting up quickly and exiting the room.

Auron got up from the table and walked over to the counter. He retrieved another shot glass from the counter, and once again drew out his tankard. The alcohol that he kept inside was managed like a stingy person would guard their wallet. He drank infrequently and only when necessary. Unscrewing the cap of the tankard slowly, he poured some of the liquid into the shot glass before taking a small draft of it for himself. Replacing the tankard at his side, he delicately picked up the small glass with his right hand and brought it back over to Yuna.

She looked up. "For me?" Auron nodded. "I . . . haven't had a drink of this stuff before. Is it strong?"

Auron smiled. "Don't worry. If I get President Yuna drunk, I'll take full and sole responsibility."

Yuna laughed like she hadn't in a long time. It felt good, as though her body were being cleansed of a lethal poison that had plagued her since her return to Besaid a week ago. She picked up the shot glass and eyed it warily, peering at the crystal clear Sake that palpitated in the glass as she moved it around. She took the tiniest sip of the drink, and promptly spit it out all over the floor. Quickly, she took a swig of the tea Belgemine made for her. It got rid of the bitter taste in her mouth, but now she had burned her tongue.

Auron laughed as well. "I guess you **don't** have that much experience with alcohol," he said. "This stuff . . . you down. One swallow. Don't taste it, don't roll it around in your mouth. Throw the glass to your mouth and let it hit the back of your throat. Let ittricklelike a like a calm stream down your throat."

Yuna obeyed his instruction, tilting the glass back and letting the drink rush to the back of her throat. It burned slightly going down, but this time, the drink left an oddly sweet aftertaste in her mouth. She set the empty glass back down on the table, and sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what she had just done. The last alcohol she had touched was a stash of beer that Wakka had bought earlier. She drank half of it, and that was when Lulu and Wakka had to drag her back to the house and put her to bed. Since then, she hadn't even considered touching the substance for the rest of her life.

"One shot of that will soothe even the most vociferous beast," Auron chuckled.

"Thank you," Yuna said. Then, she sighed. "My apologies. It must be annoying to have to calm me down all the time."

"Not at all, Yuna. It's what I'm here for," Auron reassured.

"No, it's not," Yuna argued. "You shouldn't have to be my tissue. I don't like using you or talking to you only when I'm sad. It makes me feel like I'm being pitied . . . and I don't like that, either."

Auron said nothing.

"One day . . . when things calm down and I have a chance to finally sit back and let things take care of themselves, I want to just be able to sit down with all my friends," Yuna said. "We can talk, laugh, and forget about what's going on outside the walls of the room we're in. We can enjoy life for once, instead of always trying to change it."

"You and I both know that things will never be able to take care of themselves," Auron said, turning serious again. "Right now, you must focus on what is ahead."

Yuna sighed again. "It's just so hard sometimes," Yuna admitted. "For the first time in my life, I feel like there's nobody to bear the burden of what I need to tell them. I need to tell somebody how I feel, and leave nothing out. And . . . I don't feel that there's anybody left who could shoulder what I need to say."

"Save it for later," Auron said. "Now, unfortunately, is not the time."

"If I save it for later, I never may get another chance to tell anybody about it, don't you understand?" Yuna said, somewhat hysterically. "I can't handle all this pressure right now!"

"You have to," Auron said forcefully. "It was you, wasn't it, who said, 'I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad'?"

Yuna nodded. She remembered telling Tidus that when he found out that Sin was his father. He looked so sad and depressed then, much like Yuna thought she looked now. She remembered that, by smiling, she was able to put forth an atmosphere of peace and happiness. Yes, she knew what Auron was asking of her. And now, it was her turn. Heed her own words, the words that she spoke to Tidus so long ago, and put on a smile . . . even when she was feeling sad.

Yuna sniffed and wiped her face clean. Then she forced a smile. "How's this?" she asked.

Auron looked at her face. "It doesn't look like a smile," he said honestly. "It looks more like a grimace."

"Hm," was all Yuna said as she got up from the table. "I'm sorry, Auron, but it appears that I've forgotten how to smile." She paused, as if startled by what she said. "I've . . . forgotten how to smile. How . . . how can this be?"

Before Auron had any chance to respond, she grabbed the shot glass that she had received from him and hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered into an insurmountable amount of pieces, and scattered like dust over the floor below. Next she hurled the mug of tea against the same wall, where it also exploded, sending remnants of the tea cascading down the wall. Yuna looked for something else to throw, but there was nothing. Before she could move, Auron had circled the table, grabbed her and hugged her to his chest, where she broke down completely.

Auron sighed, patting the younger girl uncertainly as she sobbed into his coat. Once again, Yuna poured out the overflowing emotion through her tears. This time though, fear and uncertainty were mixed in with the grief that she felt. Fear that she wouldn't be a good President. Uncertainty toward her future, as well as the rest of Spira. Grief that she felt at the loss of Tidus. And now . . . she felt like she was also losing a part of herself that she never thought possible to lose. She couldn't even smile anymore.

Finally she stopped crying enough to where she could speak clearly. "I can't live like this," she said, shaking her head.

"Pardon?" Auron said. He had heard, but he hoped he misunderstood what she said.

"All this grief, all this fear, and all this uncertainty!" She said. "It's been killing me from the inside out for the last week now. And now, I've forgotten how to smile. I've forgotten how to be happy!" She paused to catch her quavering breath and continued. "You probably can't understand this, Auron. You don't know what it's like to lose the part of you that you hold so dear. I can't even be happy now! I don't remember what it was like anymore! All of that . . . it was part of me, and now I've lost it!"

Suddenly, memories that Auron had forgotten he had resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. He remembered saying and thinking the same thing at one point. He remembered feeling like he had no way out. He remembered the agonizing, terrible pain that came with losing someone he loved dearly. It was then, Auron decided, that it was time to reveal some of his long-forgotten past.

"Sit down, Yuna," he said gently. "I want to tell you a story."

Yuna sat down but shook her head. "I don't think it will mean anything to me anymore."

"You underestimate yourself," Auron replied. "If you truly were an empty shell of a person, you would have killed yourself by now, is this not so?"

Yuna physically reeled back at this statement. "Suicide?"

"Don't tell me that you haven't thought about it," Auron said. "Lying is the most hurtful thing one could do to themselves." He paused. "Hear me out. What I'm about to tell you I've told nobody else, not even Tidus."

By this point, through all of the talking that Yuna had done with Belgemine and Auron, she had by now completely forgotten that she was on a ship bound for Bevelle. She completely forgot that she would be accepting a position as leader of Spira in only a few hours. She only saw the emotions. The fear, the grief, and the uncertainty. She would not have noticed if the ship continued to drift through the sky as a leaf ambled in the breeze, forever floating, not to touch ground until the whirlwind around it slowed to a halt.

"Alright," Yuna said. "I'll listen. You've done it for me." Here, she chuckled slightly. "The least I could do is return the favor."

"Ah," Auron said. "Very much like Yuna would do."

Yuna blushed. "Thank you," she said. "I . . . I'm starting to feel a little better."

"Good," Auron responded. "Now, listen to my story. I'll try and summarize it as best I can."

"This took place about two years after I went to Zanarkand to look after Tidus. I was still a young man, fresh from my pilgrimage, but left feeling scarred from the horrific things that I had seen at the end. This experience changed me in ways I cannot describe with words. But in Zanarkand, there was a woman I met at a local pub. I had taken a much younger Tidus there for a bite to eat, and I couldn't help noticing that this beautiful lady was staring at me from across the way."

"Go on," Yuna said, starting to become intrigued.

"She and I hit it off that night. I had never had a confidant that wasn't a man, and I would fascinate her with tales of adventure, danger, and wonderful deeds done, the sort of fantasy idea that was popular back then. I do have to say, still to this day, that I have never felt more uninhibited in my entire life than I did on that night in the pub.

"So I offered to drive her home, and she readily accepted. We talked long into the night, long after I had arrived at her house, and long after Tidus had fallen asleep in the backseat of the car. I began to tell her about things that were very hard for me to tell anybody, like how I felt around women, how I felt taking care of a small child with no experience in how to do so. Of course, I had to lie about how I had come to taking care of Tidus, but that wasn't an issue. She was understanding, kind, and compassionate. All the things in the life of a warrior monk that were missing." He sighed and continued. "We began dating not long afterward."

Here, Yuna raised her eyebrows. "That's hard for me to believe," she said.

"I said the same thing that night," Auron replied. "I was taught by the other monks that relationships were only an invitation to pain. And it was a few months after she and I began dating that I realized how right she was.

"It was then that we became . . . intimate." Here, Auron squirmed uncomfortably. "That morning, I woke up, only to find that she wasn't in the bedroom. I got up and dressed and went looking for her. As it turns out, I didn't have to look far. She was on the couch, underneath . . . underneath another man," he finished sourly.

Yuna reached out and touched Auron's hand. By now she had forgotten her troubles and was focused only on Auron's story. "I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"I should have known," he responded. "We had had a couple of arguments on weeks past. They were pretty heated too. But I never would have imagined that she would have the audacity to sleep with another man without being honest with me. I pulled her- no, ripped her out from underneath the man she was having sex with and said to her, my face not an inch away from hers, 'I trusted you. How could you do this?' And then I left, not even giving her a chance to respond.

"It was after that where I fell into a pit of depression, much like you feel now," Auron said. "I felt fearful, lonely, and uncertain of everybody around me. I had lost the only woman I ever loved. But where Tidus is dead, she was still alive. I had to live with the fact that she couldn't be with me, and yet she could be with somebody else.

"My trust had been shaken permanently. And it was then that I began my search for an outlet in which to shove all my emotions."

"What did you find?" Yuna asked.

Auron patted the tankard strapped to his belt. "Booze," he said. "I got so drunk that night that I couldn't even stand up. After that, I drank even more, to the point where I was almost passed out on the floor. But I hadn't yet ingested enough alcohol to not hear what Tidus had to say to me when he saw me surrounded by empty liquor bottles."

"What was that?" Yuna asked.

"He instantly burst out crying," Auron said. "He got up right in my face and screamed at me, much like I did with my ex-girlfriend. He shouted, 'You can't do this to me, Auron! You just can't! My dad was always like this, always getting piss-ass drunk. He would abuse me, taunt me! Don't you ever turn into my dad! Ever! You're the only dad I ever really had; I don't want to lose you too!'"

Yuna was tearing up again, but not because of how she felt. She understood now why Auron had told her this story. Auron, like her, had felt the unbearable pain of losing somebody you loved. However, Auron had handled his emotions poorly, and had nearly lost Tidus's trust in the process. Auron was hoping that by telling Yuna this story, she wouldn't make the same mistake that he did so many years ago.

"Right then, I realized the mistake that I had made," Auron said, shaking his head. "I had failed miserably in the one task that Jecht entrusted me with. If Tidus had cast aside his trust in me, then my life was over. There was no point in going on living. I had to have a long talk with him a couple days later, persuading him that I would never be Jecht, that I had made a mistake and promised not to repeat it. He believed me, but for weeks afterward, he would watch me like a hawk, sometimes even staying awake at night to make sure I didn't get up for a drink.

"As it turns out, Tidus didn't have anything to worry about. It was years before I touched alcohol again, and it was of equal time where I could speak with another woman again," Auron finished. "I felt used, taken advantage of, and like there was no hope left for me in the world. But through friends I pulled myself out of the pit of depression I had dug for myself."

Yuna had subconsciously gripped Auron's hand tighter as he told his story. Realizing this, she loosened her grip considerably. "Thank you, Auron," she said, getting up and hugging him gently. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It makes me feel much, much better." She paused, thinking. "It will be a while yet before I can let go of him. But . . . your story helped a lot. Now, I think I just might be able to get through this whole ceremony without . . . losing my head." Auron nodded

Unbeknownst to Yuna, as she wasn't facing the door, there were other people who had listened to Auron's story. Belgemine, Lulu, Wakka, and Rikku all heard Auron's tale in the doorway. They had never heard Auron open up like this, to anyone. Though it would probably be the last time for a long, long while, insight into Auron's past certainly helped explain the man sitting before them at this moment. Auron, right then, looked up at the four and nodded, motioning for them to come in. They all gathered around Yuna, looking down at her with concern.

"Will you be okay, Yunie?" Rikku squeaked tentatively.

Yuna smiled at the younger girl. "Don't worry, Rikku," she said, stroking Rikku's hair lightly. "I'll be just fine."

"Yay!" Rikku said happily, dancing around the table. This drew laughs from everybody except Auron, who simply chuckled.

It was then, in the midst of all those smiling faces, that Yuna realized that her face was among them.

* * *

Why not end it on a happy note for once? 

So, was it okay? I hope so; I really enjoyed writing. Don't worry, Yuna's going to cheer up even more soon. There's quite the surprise waiting for her at the ceremony . . . oops! Shit, did I really say that? My bad. I won't say anymore.

Anyway, please review, as always. It's greatly appreciated. Until I update again in August, I bid you all adieu.

>SirGecko>


	5. Third Age of Mankind

Hello everybody. I know it's been quite a while since I updated anything, and I apologize for that. I guess I'm not very dependable, am I? Well, I could blame it on any number of things (which of course had some effect on my updating speed), but the main reason was simply another block when it came to this story. However, I finally worked out of it long enough to bring you chapter five. And to make up for my absence somewhat, this one is a little lengthier than my previous chapters, at 13 pages. So if that's any consolation to any of you, then I'm pleased.

Well, this is it. The inaugurational ceremony and events leading up to it. The chapter you've been waiting for, for way too long (3 1/2 months). Many things of great importance happen in this chapter, and I sure hope you enjoy it.

Anyway, I shall now respond to the reviews I got.

BlackDemon567: Well, not quite August, unfortunately . . . but, better late than never. Yeah, keeping Yuna in character last chapter was very difficult; I appreciate your giving me the benefit of the doubt. Thank you, and here's chapter five!

mandyfanforevr: Thank you. I agree with your statement; it is important to get this stuff in. Anyway, here's chapter five. I hope you enjoy it.

CyanideSmiles: I'm glad you enjoyed Auron's story (in the way you did). The answer to your questionmight befound in this chapter. Read on to find out!

Lord isacc: Wow, it certainly has been a long time. How are you doing, old friend? I'm glad to see you back and reading my work. I know . . . it's a little disheartening for me as well to have stopped Worlds Apart, but who knows. Maybe I'll pick it back up again someday and be spurred to finish it. And I'm quite pleased that you enjoy this story on Final Fantasy X. I hope you'll enjoy chapter five jsut as much.

bbychrangel: Well, I apologize for leaving you on the hook until November instead of August. Nonetheless, I'm glad you're enjoying my work, and here's the fifth chapter. Hopefully chapter 6 will be out in less time.

Litwolf689: Hello, fellow new reviewer. I'm glad that you also likemy work. Anyway, here's chapter five for you. Maybe some of your questions will be answered in this chapter . . . ?

blueflamingo: Well, I'm glad I was able to make you happy. Was your prediction correct? Let me know when you've finished reading this chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

ShadyShot: I hope this chapter is as good as the rest, and I'm glad you like the story. I'll try and update more often. I hope you got over the mushy parts. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

Wow, eight reviews. . . . Well, what should I expect after stalling for 110 days? Anyway, I'm sure you're all anxious to get moving, so I won't keep you waiting. On with chapter 5!

**Chapter 5: The Third Age of Mankind**

It was hazy. He could already tell, and he hadn't even opened his eyes. Feeling like he had just been thrown off a storm-tossed ship, Tidus stirred from where he lay on the floor. He blinked . . . one, twice, three times. Trying to clear the fog wall resting in front of his eyes. Slowly, things came into focus. He was lying on the floor of a stone room. The walls, ceiling and floor were made of stone, and there was a huge fireplace, already adorned with wood and decorated with greenery, right in front of him. As his eyes continued to focus, his headache seemed to increase. But then, the only thing that could make his predicament worse occurred.

Bahamut appeared before him. "Care to let me fill you in?"

Tidus moaned and massaged his temple slowly before sitting up. "Where . . . am I?"

The Fayth sighed. "I'll take that as a 'yes', then," he said. "You're alive. I saved you." Tidus looked at him blankly. The Fayth gazed back. After a few minutes he said, "Do I get any thanks?"

Tidus blinked in surprise. "That's it? I ask, 'where am I', and you say that I'm alive? Why do you always have to complicate simple questions?" Tidus said, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"Because life demands complicated answers," the fayth responded.

Tidus knew he was right. He may not have been exceedingly bright, but he certainly wasn't clueless. To supposedly have been brought back to life by a fayth, a feat which had been granted to no other mortal, certainly was a complex aspect to Tidus's life. And Tidus was certainly not going to pretend to know the reason why the Fayth made his choice solely based on what Tidus told him he felt. Now, however, what not the time to question why he was dealt the cards he was. It was just his role to play through.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" Tidus asked skeptically. "How do I know we aren't in some other area of the Farplane?"

"Look out the window," the boy replied.

Tidus, perplexed as to what the answer had to with his question, got up and started toward the window. Then again, the Fayth was never plainly answered an inquiry of any kind, so there was some form of bitter consistency in the whole thing. Tidus sighed, stopped in front of the window and pulled open the blinds, allowing city lights to wink back at him. Wait . . . city lights to wink back at him?

Indeed this was so. As far as he could see, ornate and beautiful buildings lay scattered in front of him. It was twilight out, and he could see the glow of lights from the buildings winking at him in what seemed to be a cheery manner. The sun had just a little feeble light left, and was drenching the city in its dim red and purple juice, giving the city a majestical look the likes of which Tidus had never seen before. Mountains lay to the left, black in the silhouette cast by the light of the dying sun. It was almost as beautiful as the Moonflow he saw back so long ago with Yuna.

"It's so pretty," Tidus sighed. "Where-" But then Tidus saw a large, towering building to the right, almost hidden from view by the confines of the window. "Wait a minute. That looks like the Temple in Bevelle!"

"Very good, my friend," Bahamut said, smiling. "You're in an inn in northwest Bevelle. Now, look up and put two and two together for me. Do you recognize that thing streaking through the sky?"

> > > > >

The airship continued on its present course for the sprawling and spiritual city of Bevelle. Yuna could see the sun setting in the bay windows behind her, and knew that they were almost going to start descending into the mammoth city. She had to have been on board this airship for at least eight hours, give or take. If she didn't get out of this ship soon, she was liable to go crazy. However, such was not the case at the moment. Yuna, rather, was musing to herself.

'Remember . . .' Yuna's conscience told her. 'Remember how it feels to smile.'

She nodded to nobody in particular as she looked around at the people in the room. Auron, sitting at the table, his expression unreadable over his sunglasses and trench coat collar. Rikku, who had just finished doing her little dance, shining like the brightest star in the night sky. Wakka and Lulu, who were smiling and holding hands nonchalantly. Belgemine, who watched with a professional smile on her face. Nonetheless, Yuna could see that the happy atmosphere that had currently filled the room was getting to Belgemine, and soon her faced relaxed, finding an uninhibited smile.

It was then that Yuna realized how peaceful it was in the room. All thoughts of apprehension and fear were momentarily gone from everybody's minds. Well, save for Auron. As per usual, he was thinking, about what . . . only he knew. His mind was forever stretched into the vast, unfriendly, unpredictable phenomenon that was the future. However, though he didn't necessarily look as cheerful as the others, his face sill personified an air of internal peace.

"Do you need some time alone?" Lulu asked, her voice breaking the silence.

Yuna shook her head slowly, and somewhat uncertainly. "I need to clean up my mess though," she gestured to the wall. "It wouldn't be right to leave it for someone else to clean."

"You need some time alone," Auron saw straight through her and ignored what she said. "Your eyes, though not of the same color, convey the same message. The eyes . . . they do not lie."

Auron quickly got up from his sitting position at the table, pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, and strode quickly out of the room, as though he were trying to escape from something. This left the others in the room with Yuna. Silently, they began to follow Auron and they too dissipated from the room. Yuna sighed, and retrieved a dish towel, broom and dustpan from the corner of the room. She worked in silence, going over what Auron had told her. It explained a lot. He was never exactly friendly with either her or Rikku. He wasn't mean or anything, just colder and more distant. And now, Yuna could halfway understand why.

'Wow, I really did quite a bit of damage to these glasses,' Yuna thought to herself with a half-smile as she now began to sweep up the shards. Indeed, the biggest piece of glass on the floor was only the size of her thumbnail.

She finished sweeping up the mess. Carrying the shards over to the trash bin, she set the broom and dustpan back in the corner. As she walked by the table where she had sat moments earlier, she picked up the damp dish towel and walked over to the mess. Crouching down, she began to mop up the spilled peppermint tea, while making careful certain that her dress did not come in contact with the spilled liquid. The wall took most of it though; it was spattered so it looked like someone had thrown paint against the wall.

"Finished?"

Yuna spun around and saw another delegate standing at the doorway, and not one she necessarily wanted to see in this situation. Dona sauntered in, a sash draped over her right shoulder. She was scantily dressed in a brown miniskirt and a brown leather vest with nothing underneath it. At first glance, Yuna thought she was wearing absolutely nothing as the color of the clothing blended so well with her dark skin. Dona also wore brown high heels.

"Almost," Yuna replied.

"I just wanted to step in and confer my congratulations," Dona said with a small smirk on her face. "You beat me. You got to Sin first, and even lived to tell us of it. And on top of that . . . you're the only person to have done so." Yuna said nothing, so Dona continued. "And now you're destined to be the President. Which leads me to question: Why would the most famous person in Spira as of this moment be doing a maid's work? Have a little accident, did we? Is my rival, after going through all this, about to . . . dare I say it, crack?" She said the last word lightly, innocently, yet mockingly.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss?" Yuna asked politely, but firmly.

Dona shrugged and leaned against the doorway. "What happened to you? The spirit of encountering the new and unexplored? The competition between us? I was rather enjoying it."

"You said it yourself, I thought," Yuna replied. "I won."

Dona seemed taken aback by Yuna's quick wit. She sighed. "True." She was silent for a minute and then said, "It's just that I don't remember seeing a shaky, depressed and tearful Yuna. I remember seeing an innocence and a sense of duty I know I could never possess. That's why I though we would make good rivals. But . . . I see none of that anymore. Instead, I see a girl who's been wrung dry by the pressures and sorrows she's placed upon herself."

Yuna sighed too. "You're right," she said. She shook her head. "You're right. But It's not as though I intentionally want to make myself feel bad. I just can't help it. You know . . . all the grief and uncertainty."

"Don't let it get to you," Dona stated flatly. "You have better things to worry about."

"I feel that . . . it's easier said than done," Yuna replied, finishing her scrubbing of the walls.

Dona said nothing, but turned away. She crossed her right leg over her left and just stood there, back facing toward Yuna. She appeared to be thinking. Yuna watched her for a moment, then went to wash out the rag and return it to its proper place. Sighing again, she went and sat back down at the table. Auron's story kept reverberating in her head. What Tidus had said to him . . . and the pain that both he and Auron had gone through. Whether Auron wanted to admit it or not, Yuna wasn't blind. She could see that the man was hiding his past for a reason, and that was probably the most insight into the man that was Auron she'd get out of him for a long time. He was not an easy person to peer into, and that was probably after years of building up his inner defenses to make it that way.

Suddenly, a voice coming through the loudspeaker interrupted her thoughts. "We're going down on Bevelle now!" Cid roared through the loudspeaker. "Strap yourselves in, kiddos!"

Yuna cast Dona a knowing look. Dona returned it. "We should go back to the lounge," she said shortly. "They have seatbelts in there." She smirked again as she and Yuna began walking toward the back of the ship once again. "Your uncle is quite the crazy pilot, Yuna. Teach him some manners."

"But he's always cheerful," Yuna said dreamily. "I think . . . we'll need someone like him more than ever in the days to come."

They walked the rest of the way to the back of the ship in silence. Reaching the area a minute or so later, they meandered around the room to find two empty seats. Yuna had found one, between Auron and Belgemine, and was just about to sit down when the ship lurched. She stumbled and was about to fall, but then a pair of strong arms caught her waist and prevented her from cracking her head on a nearby table. The arms, who she thought were Auron's, were instead blue, warm, . . . and very furry. Her facial features lit up like stadium lights.

"Kimahri!" She squealed, turning around in his grasp and wrapping her arms snugly around the Ronso. "It's so wonderful to see you again!"

"Kimahri . . . happy to see Yuna," Kimahri responded. "But . . . why is Yuna sad?"

Yuna started. Rikku, being the chatterbox that she was, must have told Kimahri about some things. "I'm not sad," she lied quickly. "Just . . . preoccupied, is all."

Kimahri just nodded and guided Yuna into her seat carefully. Just as she latched her seat belt, the ship lurched downward even more violently and Kimahri was forced to grab onto a seat-back in order to remain standing. Yuna looked around and saw that everybody else was relatively shaken up as well. Several people, including O'aka, lay sprawled on the ground. Auron, however, was clinging to the wall, not moving. His eye was showing its usual alert status, darting around the room every few seconds.

After this last lurch, Cid finally had the ship on a steady course, and now they were descending steadily (though extremely rapidly) through the sky. The ground appeared to get closer and closer with each passing second. Out the window, there were no clouds. The sun was going down, glowing beautifully as it descended behind the snow-covered mountains to the north. The sun bleached them pink, as well as anything the dying rays touched. The ship was bathed in the feeble sunlight as it got closer to the ground.

After a minute or so, they were low enough so that Yuna could gaze out the window and look at what was almost directly below them. Bevelle lay sprawled out before her. Yuna realized that it had been many, many years since she had seen Bevelle at sunset. She had also forgotten how beautiful it was. Mixed in with the lights that glowed from every building, the sunset made Bevelle look like a lost paradise. The streets were dark, but the tops of the taller buildings glowed like giant lamps flecked with gold dust. And off in the distance . . .

The former Bevelle Temple, which had been turned into the Presidential Tower in only a week loomed before her and the others, growing closer by the second. It looked even larger than it had the last time Yuna had seen it. The speediest construction project in history resulted in a lighthouse-shaped presidential tower. Surrounding the base of the tower was a framework of interconnected buildings that had remained unaltered and attached to the tower. Those were to serve as deliberation rooms and lounges, as well as the living quarters for the delegates. Basically, for Yuna and the rest of the delegates on the ship . . . it was home.

Yuna could vividly remember the last time she was here. How disgusted and sick she felt to be in that wedding dress, vulnerable as a baby bird. How overjoyed she felt when she saw the airship streak through the sky, and her guardians descending from it. How horrified she felt when Kinoc had them surrounded, guns pointed at their heads. And lastly, how she felt vindicated by saving their life when they had saved hers so many times before. But now, Yuna thought, things would be totally different. She was in Bevelle for a celebration, a ceremony to cherish, a wonderful opportunity, and to guide Spira's future.

Suddenly, the ship lurched again from the apparent need to rapidly lose speed. Yuna felt herself pressed against her seat from the kinetic forces exerted by the ship. Within seconds the ship was moving so slowly it was almost hovering in midair. And right in front of the ship, Yuna could see what awaited her outside. People were crammed onto the highbridge, cheering and waving. They were being pushed back by tower guards, keeping the red carpet leading up to the entrance of the tower clear. Wait . . . red carpet? Yuna blushed. She disliked this much royalty and attention . . . she had since she was a little girl. Her father had always told her that humbleness was one of her greatest gifts . . . but she didn't like having to feel that way so often.

"We're just about there, Your Highness," Wakka joked, earning a light slap from Lulu and a nervous chuckle from Yuna. "Really though," he continued, absentmindedly rubbing the spot on his arm where Lulu smacked him, "they're really stoked about all this, ya? I mean, look at it all. Makes you feel kinda tall, doesn't it? Like you're on top of the world, ya?"

"I think it's cool!" Rikku shouted from somewhere behind Yuna. She could hear the excitement booming in her voice. "We're famous now! I've never walked on a red carpet before!"

"I could make a killin' here, I'm tellin' ye," O'aka suddenly piped up. "Look at all those poor blokes out there, waving, dancing . . . wallets bulging . . ." He sighed in disappointment.

"In just three days, you'll be rich beyond your wildest dreams," Auron said flatly. "There would be no point selling to those people."

"Yeah, but . . ." O'aka said. "There's just something about cheating people outta a few extra gil, isn't there?" Yuna mentally wondered whether or not she had picked a trustworthy candidate for trade relations.

"HAH! We're docked!" Cid's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Those little punks never saw us land, we got here so fast. How 'bout that!"

"And **he's** a delegate?" Yuna heard Dona say. "We really are going to the dogs . . ." Yuna felt a surge of indignation rise from the pit of her stomach.

"Can we get off now?" Lulu asked, looking around.

"Well, we're stopped; I don't see why not," Wakka replied, getting up and helping Lulu do the same.

Slowly, everybody else followed Wakka and Lulu's example by getting up as well. And as though they had agreed upon it silently, they all didn't move, standing motionless by their chairs. They were all gazing at Yuna. It took a minute or so for the reason to become apparent to her. They were waiting for her to go first. Setting a resolved expression on her face, she looked at everybody and nodded, and walked slowly forward and down the hallway.

The others followed suit, going at her pace. Auron was right behind her, followed by the rest of the delegates: Biran, Kimahri, Rikku, Shelinda, Maechen, Tromell, Belgemine, Dona, Barthello, Wakka, Lulu, Lucil, Gatta, Rin, and finally O'aka. All were looking either excited or apprehensive, all except for Tromell. The Guado was looking rather sulky, as though he were here against his will. He didn't wear anything fancy, but instead wore his usual Guado-style clothing. His hair stood out remarkably with that of the others. Every now and then though, he would smirk, as though he knew something the others didn't.

Yuna didn't really notice anything around her. She was too nervous. Time seemed to slow to an unimaginable crawl as she walked down the hallways of the ship toward the bridge, where they would meet up with their final delegate: Cid. She checked the inside of her dress for her notes, and sighed with relief when she felt them bite uncomfortably at her skin. Behind her, she could hear footsteps. Slow and almost haunting, she half-felt like she was taking a trip to the gallows.

The door to the bridge opened in front of her, and there stood Cid, looking positively delighted. Yuna smiled, realizing where Rikku got her bubbly personality from. He stood there until Kimahri passed by, and then took his place behind him in the line. As they slowly made their way out the door, it too opened. A Tower guard was there to escort them. When Yuna was approximately five feet away, she stopped and waited for the guard to usher her forward. When he did (it seemed to take hours to Yuna), they began to walk, slowly and purposefully, down the red carpet.

It truly was a beautiful sight. The carpet was lined with brilliant lights. The beams were actually visible, and they shot into the sky like spotlights. In between each light, flowers of every kind imaginable lined the carpet, and glowed beautifully in the light put out by the skylights. The sky, now in the twilight phase, was lit up by the sun, which was descending beyond the hills to the west. It obscured the skylights slightly, but off to the east, stars were already beginning to come out. It was as if the sky was divided in two, with day to Yuna's left and night to her right. She had never seen anything like it before in her life. The people around her seemed to be enjoying it as well.

Yuna feared that, on top of her nerves, that she would faint as well. She had clostrophobia for as long as she could remember, and the crowd on either side of her felt like it was closing in, ready to choke all the life out of her as she walked. There had to be at least a thousand people there, making tumultuous amounts of noise. Yuna decided that, in order to distract her from her nerves, she would focus on the sounds of the crowd. And as she listened, she could hear that the crowd on the left was cheering, whooping, clapping, and holding signs that said various things such as "The Eternal Calm Begins!" and "Yuna, our savior."

However, the crowd on the right, though smaller, was causing much more trouble. They were the protestors. Tower guards were carrying shields and holding out their arms to keep the protestors off the red carpet. When Yuna tuned her ears to listen to what they were saying, it only amplified the feeling of nausea and unease in the pit of her stomach. There was swearing, cat calls and jeers, shoutings of "Treason!" and "Viva Yevon!" She saw several people flip her and the others off as she passed. One man, further back, even threw a bottle at her, but it missed, knocking out a palace guard. Others rushed forward to restrain the violent protestor.

For the rest of the trip down the red carpet, Yuna bowed her head so that the crowd couldn't see her facial expression. She knew that she hid her emotions poorly, and she didn't necessarily convey certainty and stability. She didn't want the people to see her uncertainty. Auron was looking everywhere, making sure nothing else came at Yuna. He had thrown his arms out over Yuna's head when the bottle was sent her way, but since the bottle missed by at least 15 feet, it wasn't necessary.

"Yuna, get closer to me," he barked. "Now!"

Yuna didn't even pretend to question Auron's order. She fell back two steps so that she was so close to Auron that he could have given her a hug. More insults were hurled at her from the right, but they were drowned by the cheers of the crowd to her left. They were closing in on her, choking her to death . . . no they weren't. Auron had her protected. Nausea was welling up in her. She began to salivate at an alarming rate, swallowing every five seconds.

Auron seemed to pick up on her wave of nausea. He could see the cold sweat dripping down her face. "Snap out of it," he said firmly. "You're fine. A hundred more feet and you'll be in the tower."

Further back, Rikku was smiling, waving, and fighting off the urge not to jump up and down. She grinned at the supporters, urging them to clap and cheer louder. And that they did; they seemed to be having fun drowning out the protestors on the right. Lulu and the others looked as professional as could possibly be, not flinching, but smiling softly and raising a hand in acknowledgment. Tromell would have been a statue if his legs had not been moving.

Finally, the procession reached the front entrance to the tower. The guard, who had been leading them all, stepped to the left and extended his arm, inviting them all to go inside. Auron allowed Yuna to escape his protective grasp, and he nodded curtly from behind his sunglasses. She drew a deep, shuddering breath, and stepped tentatively over the threshold.

The designers wasted nothing. Whatever breath you had when you first walked in that door, was taken away by what you saw. The walls were lined with red and golden tapestries, the gold ones lining the walls aesthetically. The red ones hung from flagpoles and were tied majestically to the wall so that they draped over the walkway. They had the sign of Yevon embroidered on them. Windows were located higher up on the tower so that red sunlight streamed into half of them, making the gold tapestries glitter and the red ones more bold. The tower was basically that one room. It extended all the way up to the top; though there were side-rooms branching off the floor.

In the center of the room were the delegate chairs and the council table. The table was an entire circle encompassing the center of the room, around which the chairs were spaced out every few feet. Name plates and the city of representation were in front of each chair. Both the chairs and the table were made of solid and polished oak. To the right of the entrance where they had walked in, there was an even larger chair, padded and also made out of oak. Yuna was to be seated there.

Beforehand, every delegate had received a letter on where to sit and how to move to their seats so that there was no muss and fuss. As soon as Yuna got off the airship, she went live onto national television. She and the others were being recorded as they entered, and the TV crews had made sure there were no mistakes to be aired. And so far, everything had gone perfectly according to plan.

A well-dressed woman, no older than twenty, with silvery-gray hair and a sort of gothic-style dress stood in the center of the table area, arms rigid at her sides. She had a leather skirt and vest on with skulls adorning the belt that held the skirt to her hips. She also wore a bright, shining skull necklace. A former Crusader, Yuna mused subconsciously. As she passed, the girl's right arm snapped up and touched her forehead in a salute. Yuna nodded to the woman, who, other than that sharp movement, remained still as a statue. Yuna had been told that, as soon as he saluted, they were to break off in an orderly fashion and proceed to their respective seats. The salute was the signal. The signal to start the ceremony.

The signal to begin Spira anew.

She drew in a deep shuddering breath before coming up to her chair and sitting down in it. The chair was well-cushioned, and she felt as though the plush was going to absorb her. The chair was oak, decorated in a very intricate manner. Roses and vines had been carved along the legs and arms of the chair, and the cushions were pink, lined with gold. If it had been any more ornamental, Yuna would have observed it as a throne. However, a monarchy wasn't in the plan concerning government.

The other delegates were seated in front of her; she had a good view of them all. Both the men and the women sat up straight and looked ahead, personifying an intimidating aura of professionalism. Auron looked especially daunting, sitting behind the small placard that read **Zanarkand.** Tromell, in addition to looking like a virtuoso in the game of politics, also looked slightly haughty. A scowl was perched on his grizzled face, and his nose was high in the air, as though he were indignant at something somebody said. Rikku even looked professional, though she also appeared more lively than the rest. Every now and then she would fidget in suppressed excitement, and her eyes would light up every time she looked at Yuna. As though to say, "Here we go!"

By this time, reporters had flooded into the room, bustling around like a swarm of bees and setting up camcorders, podiums and microphones everywhere. All three were trained on every single person in the room, but none more so than Yuna. The woman who had been previously standing in the middle of the floor now stood in front of Yuna, a microphone in her right hand and a small bundle of cue-cards in her left. Yuna surmised that they were cards upon which notes to a speech were written. The cameraman began speaking to her, and the woman nodded curtly and straightened her leather skirt. Then, Yuna saw the man counting on his fingers.

5-4-3-2-1 . . .

"You're on, ma'am."

Yuna swallowed her saliva, which seemed to be flowing much more abundantly now.

"Good evening, fellow denizens of Spira," she had a flat, sort of sarcastic drawl that nonetheless was captivating. "Doubtless you all know why we are here today. I come to you live from the Presidential Tower in Bevelle, where, as we speak, the delegates that surround me are ready to return the world back to those who rightfully own it: the People of Spira!"

She spoke slowly and clearly, and with great gusto for having to stand still. At the end of her last sentence, Yuna and the others could hear the crowd's deafening roar of applause from outside the building. No doubt many others were responding the same way . . . well, those who were watching this broadcast. Yuna swallowed again and sighed anxiously.

"In a few moments, Yuna will be inaugurated as your president, and then give a short acceptance speech before going to work on our first government . . . in one thousand years!" More applause rang from around the building. "I know, and the delegates know, that you, the people, are looking forward to this time of peace, this time of prosperity, and the Post-Sin era of the Spiran History books!"

More thunderous applause, whistles and cheers. The delegates just clapped politely and quietly, while Yuna sat still, using every ounce of her remaining strength to fight off wave after wave of nausea that threatened to make her vomit. She hoped that she didn't look too green or sweaty.

"At this time, we would like to introduce the delegates and representatives of the respective cities. We ask the delegates to rise as their names are called." She paused, looking down her list of names.

"Representing Besaid Isle: Wakka and Lulu." Wakka and Lulu stood and bowed slightly as their names were called. Polite and quiet applause sounded from within the tower.

"Representing Kilika Beach: Dona and Barthello, natives of the island." More polite applause.

And so the list went on. Belgemine, being the only representative of Luca. Tromell being the only representative of Guadosalam. Shelinda and Maechen representing Bevelle. Cid and Rikku representing what was to be called New Bhed, the Al Bhed's new home. Mt. Gagazet was being represented by Biran and Kimahri. Even Zanarkand had an elected representative: Auron. Which, to the keen observer's eye, might've meant something. But no questioning eyebrows were raised whatsoever.

Then the speaker got down to the last two positions. "Two special divisions have been created by future President Yuna to work with the rest of the cities dealing with their specific area of expertise. Representing the Crusader Division are Lucil and Gatta, former Crusaders who played an active role in Operation Mi'ihen." Here, there was a greater volume of applause in respect for the vain yet valiant attempt to annihilate Sin.

"Finally, representing the Spiran Trade Federation are two masters and connoisseurs of trade and all its finer details: Rin of the Al Bhed and O'aka the twenty-third, Merchant Extraordinare." More polite applause.

"This is to be the government that guides us, the light that shines ahead to our future. However, Yuna can explain all this better than I. So, without further ado, let the ceremony begin."

At this point, the girl stepped aside and motioned to her right, where the only surviving Maester of the Old Age, Maester Kelk Ronso, appeared from behind a door leading to another room. He wore his old Maester robes, intricately designed cloth that was once highly desired and respected. The source of many a Summoner's dream. But now, all of that was obsolete. Nonetheless, Kelk paid no mind to it, and looked genuinely pleased as he approached Yuna. Kelk stopped to her right, and all the cameras, which had been following his every footstep and breath, now trained in on him and Yuna. Kelk motioned for her to rise with his furry paw, which she did shakily.

"Former Summoner Yuna, you have been bestowed with a great honor by the people of this fair and holy land," Kelk boomed. "You are more than just a citizen of Spira. You are **the** citizen of Spira. The voice that resounds from the far corners of the seas and back. The lantern that guides the lost and the confused. The beacon that guides the people, the symbol of a new and freer world. I must ask you now: do you understand the significance of your image and position?"

Yuna was silent for about two seconds before responding. "Yes . . . yes, I do."

"Do you feel prepared and equipped to take on this daring challenge of being the President of Spira?" Kelk asked.

"I do," Yuna said, with slightly more confidence. "With my friends and fellow delegates at my side, I feel prepared."

"Do you think that the people of Spira would agree with you in that you're prepared, and ready to accurately represent them and decide policy for them based on what little political experience you've had?"

Yuna was starting to get uncomfortable. Was this a ceremony or a court trial? What did she have to do to prove herself? Hopefully the questions would not continue for long. Her father had always taught her to answer all questions with total honesty and with a pleasant smile on her face. It made you seem confident and trustworthy in a fashion that others wouldn't perceive as arrogant. Yuna decided to implement that strategy.

"Before I became a summoner, I had no experience as a summoner," Yuna said slowly. "But now, as I become President, I find myself wiser than I ever was at any point on my pilgrimage. The things I saw, the people I met, and the emotions I carry . . . they all come from the heart with good intentions. I think, in all honesty . . . that's a good start to being a good president."

Kelk was silent for a moment before nodding his furry head slowly. "You have answered these questions to the best of your ability," Kelk stated. "Though the old ways have been cast aside, I was asked to use the basis for the inauguration of a new Maester as the ceremony for you. So, by the power newly given to the people, and with me as their witness, I hereby instate you as the one and only President of Spira!"

Yuna tried to hold back tears full of different riptides of emotion as she stood up, bowing and repeating her thank-yous. The crowd outside the building was making a deafening noise. The sounds of stamping, cheering, whistling and clapping greeted Yuna's ears as she approached the podium. Her speech was already placed there, and there was a little note attached to it. She recognized it as Auron's neat cursive handwriting, and, in between smiles, she bent over to read it.

Be clear. Be strong. The world watches and waits.

'Typical Auron,' Yuna thought, picking up the speech.

The approval of the waiting crowd outside was only just beginning to subside. The protestors were keeping rather quiet . . . or maybe they just couldn't be heard. The delegates all watched her silently, waiting for her to begin her speech. Rikku's face shone through the rest, grinning almost from ear to ear. Lulu was smiling politely, as were all the others except for Auron and Tromell. Auron wore an expression of deep concentration while Tromell had one of slight resentment. Yuna tore her gaze away from the Guado and focused on the delegates to his left, training her gaze on each one of them.

Yuna drew in a great shuddering breath, swallowed, and began her acceptance speech. "Today . . . is a day that will be remembered by Spira for ages to come," Yuna said, reading the first few lines of the speech and subconsciously memorizing them in order to look at the people in the room while she was talking. "Today is a day that will be told by the parents of today to their children, who will in turn pass it on to their children, all the way to the end of time itself. Today is the day where we take back our world from the demons who ruled our lives. Today is . . . the first day of Spira's liberation!" Wild and enthusiastic applause greeted this last statement.

"And I am honored that you chose me to lead the way into the New Age," Yuna said modestly. More applause. "But it wasn't just me who freed us from the chains of oppression placed by Sin. It was also the relentless efforts of summoners before me and who were traveling at the same time as I. Summoners like my father Braska. Summoners like Belgemine and Dona." She paused. "It was people who made revolutionary changes and discoveries. People like Rin, and the founder of the Crusaders." She paused again. "But we, we as in the aforementioned, can't forget those who matter most. We can't forget the reason why we fight. The reason why we sacrifice. The reason why journey." She paused again. Through observation, she had learned the correct and charismatic way to deliver a speech.

"The reason that I speak of . . . is you, the people of Spira. Your steadfastness, your vigilance, and your willingness to adapt. You stayed strong . . . supportive . . . faithful. It is your faith in us, and in each other, that kept us going. And ultimately, it is your faith in people like me, an ordinary girl from Besaid Isle, that got us here today. You're responsible for the destruction of Sin! All of you! **I **didn't defeat Sin. **We** defeated Sin!"

By this point, Yuna's nervousness and tirade of emotions had disappeared. Leave it up to Auron to write a poignant speech that would fire up not only the crowd, but her as well. Yuna was into her speech. It was all true. Some of it she didn't even realize until she read it. But Auron, as he almost always was, was right. The crowd burst into wild and enthusiastic applause, nearly screaming their approval at this last set of statements. They all knew it was true. And they felt vindicated.

"We lived in, and still live in a world where multiple voices make all the difference," Yuna continued. "Make no mistake. As president, I'm not here to act as an all-powerful ruler. I am not here to instill a monarchial government. It is my firm and extreme wish to not make every decision for you. Your representatives are not here to make every decision for you. You're here to decide for you. We voice **your **opinions. We are the liaisons in Spiran communication.

"Through this new system of government, we hope to accomplish more than ever thought possible. We hope to create a society in which all men and women are of equal status, have equal rights and opportunities, and are socially equal." Polite applause rang out before quickly subsiding. "Race and religion will not be a factor in deciding government policy. Let me repeat that: race and religion are independent factors in government. Let not the beliefs of one decide the beliefs of all!" Not-so-fervent applause greeted this last statement.

"I do not wish to rush into making many large and life-altering decisions," Yuna stated slowly. "But there are a few things that must happen, and must happen now. The Temples of Yevon, whose funds are ample, have now been distributed to the various peoples of representation and the government so as to allot them to projects that will be beneficial to all the people of the world. First off, I'm proposing the funding of a new Al Bhed City in a disclosed and unaltered location. The Al Bhed, who scattered once again after the destruction of Home," here, Tromell adopted a look of indignant outrage, "might regroup at the building site." Polite applause rang throughout the area.

"Other plans and policies will be revealed and discussed throughout the course of the coming months," Yuna continued. "The aforementioned was an example of some of the more imminent changes that we hope to make. And it is all possible with your help. We can give these people a home. We can give you the resources to rebuild and expand upon your cities. We can give you relief from the tyrannies of Sin. With the new system of government, and the people elected by you, we can build a new world, and a new life for each and every one of you!"

Cheers, claps, and yells pierced the night once again. Yuna was a figure that they trusted a lot more than others. As the bearer of the real truth behind Yevon and the eradicator of Sin, she was not an easy person not to trust. What Yuna said in her speech, therefore, sounded totally plausible and believable. The building of a new world and a society where all were treated fairly and equally . . . deep down inside, most of them knew that accomplishing this was almost, if not, impossible. But coming from Yuna, it sounded especially noteworthy.

"This . . . is the dawn of the third age of mankind. The power to decide the future lies in our hands. We no longer have Sin to morph our lives, and to haunt us over our shoulder like a poltergeist. We no longer have the burden of worrying who will be next to fall to Sin's wrath. Sin no longer controls our lives. So the question becomes this: what do we do with the very basic freedom of being able to choose the direction of our own lives?

"Surprisingly, this is a luxury that has been extremely limited at best, or not afforded at its worst. But now, we must be careful as we, as citizens, have more power than ever before. And with me as your president, I and my fellow delegates avow to guiding you all along the way, so that we may, truly, become–"

At that moment, what was to be the last line of her speech was interrupted by the woman who had given the opening statement whispering something in her ear. Yuna stopped abruptly in mid-sentence as she listened to what the girl had to say. Her mouth slowly opened wider and wider in shock as the girl continued to talk. The delegates watching her were growing uneasy. But then, they saw the silvery-haired girl motion to a door behind them, to which Yuna gazed. Naturally, the rest of the delegates followed suit.

Many of the delegates mouths also slowly fell open. Those who knew, anyway. For there, in the doorway, stood a boy. A young man no older than eighteen. With spiky blond hair. A toned and tan chest and build. Black shorts. A yellow shirt. And the emblem of his old Blitzball team: the Zanarkand Abes glinted off a necklace he wore. The man, as nonchalantly as possible, crossed over to where Auron was seated, frozen in his chair. He looked up at the boy with that darting, ever-watchful eye. Suddenly the boy spoke.

"I understand that this is the Zanarkand section," he said. Then, he motioned to the empty chair behind him, placed there to give the round table symmetry.

"Is this seat taken?"

> > > > > > > > > > > >

How was it? Okay? Pathetic? Should I quit right now? Or was it actually good after sitting on my desk for so long?

Let me know. Drop me a line. Give me lots of feedback. Bottom line: REVIEW!

SirGecko>


	6. Forward to the Past

Hello everyone. I know it's been awhile, but this chapter has left me with a lingering feeling of uncertainty as to its quality. As such, I've spent several weeks ponering it to make sure that it's okay, but it looks like this is as good as its going to get. I really hope it's okay, and doesn't affect the quality of the rest of the story.

This new system for replying to reviews makes my job a helluva lot easier, and I'm grateful for that. This way, you won't have to filter through a lot of useless jargon that doesn't peratin to you, and you only have to listen to me babble. A little bit more bearable, isn't it? Anyway, this chapter is a little shorter than the last few, at 9 1/4 pages. It's still pretty decent, though.

Once again, I hope this chapter isn't too bad. Forge through and read it now.

> > > > > > > > > >

**Chapter 6: Forward to the Past**

Nobody could move, least of all Yuna. The first thought that crossed her mind was that she was seeing a stress-induced fantasy, a final indicator that she had, in fact, lost her mind. But she knew that what she saw was real. Auron was looking at Tidus with a look of utter scrutiny and uneasiness. Wakka had jumped to his feet, mouth agape in shock. Lulu's eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open as well. Even Rikku was immobile; she was craned to get a good look at the boy, as though she didn't believe it was really him.

Whispers were circulating around the room, uneasy and curious whispers both among the delegates and the reporters. Some cameras had even trained in on Tidus, capturing his uneasy and resolved face. Cameras began to flash. Yuna was told to continue her speech without interruption, but she couldn't. Not when her one wish to the God she knew didn't exist had finally become a reality. The whispers subsided. The cameras stopped flashing. There was total silence.

A pin dropped.

Auron suddenly stood up, wasting no time in taking charge of this interruption. "Yuna, finish the speech," he said. "The ceremony must conclude as quickly as possible. Everything must proceed as planned. Now."

"Yuna!" Tidus cried, turning away from the chair and starting toward her.

"Grab him!" the girl standing in the doorway shouted.

Faster than anybody could blink, Auron had pulled him back in a headlock, restraining him tightly. Despite Tidus's shouts and cries of surprise and protest, Auron nodded at the black-clad girl and jerked his head toward the door from which Tidus came. Yuna started toward Tidus, but Auron stopped her mid-step with a harsh, commanding glare. He wrestled with the boy, dragging him toward the doorway on the far side of the room. The silver-haired girl followed suit. All Yuna could do was watch as she walked slowly backward, back to the podium. Soon, he disappeared from her sight.

He was there. But now, he's gone again.

> > > > >

They were walking, or rather, stumbling, down a curvy hallway. Tidus couldn't believe what was going on. His guardian, mentor and friend now had him in a choking headlock and his arms were locked together in Auron's surprisingly firm grip. The girl, who he had never seen before, was walking stoically next to them, her hand gripping the hilt of a large knife that was strapped to her belt. It was almost half the size of the large sword strapped to her back. She appeared to be vastly skilled in the Way of the Warrior and the Swordsman. What was going on here? Was this one of the fayth's sick games? Was Bahamut going to have him killed?

Horror ran through Tidus's mind and he stopped struggling. Nevertheless, Auron still kept him moving at a pace so fast that he had to side-jog. The hallway was pink and red, not hot-pink, but rather girly for a place of such importance. The ceiling had crystal lights hanging from it, and the walls had the same crystal fixtures attached as well. Flowers were delicately placed in vases that lined the halls every twenty feet or so on either side. All were winking at him invitingly, but their friendly and vibrant light did nothing to calm Tidus's rampant nerves.

Fear finally caused him to speak. "It's me, Auron! It's Tidus! What are you doing? Lemme go!" "Shut up," the girl hissed at him.

"Hey!" Tidus protested. "Don't tell me what to do. I walk right into this room, with no intention but–"

The girl quickly commanded Auron to stop, which he did. She drew her knife and held the tip of it to Tidus's Adams apple. Tidus gulped nervously, and as his Adams apple bobbed, it ran against the blade's tip. A small pinprick of blood appeared on his neck. He felt it begin to trickle uncomfortably down his neck and into his jersey. Auron wouldn't free his arms so that he could wipe the blood away, and the tickling sensation was going to drive him crazy.

"You're in no position to play the hero," she said dangerously. "Until we get to the room, I suggest you keep your mouth shut if you want to retain the ability to speak." Tidus nodded vigorously.

Though the wait seemed infinitesimally long to Tidus, it was actually a very short period of time in which they reached the "room" where they were going. Tidus noticed that it was similar to the room in which he appeared on Spira with Bahamut, only this room was much more inviting. Two rose-colored couches faced each other in the center of the room. A decorative purple rug, laced with gold and blue fringe and patterned to look like a stained-glass window, had been placed in between the couches. A fire was going in the room; it was considerably warmer in here than it was in the central chamber where Yuna had been giving her speech. The walls and floor of this room were made of decorative stone. Plants were hung above the fireplace and placed in all four corners of the room.

Auron roughly shoved Tidus onto the couch on the left. Tidus bounced a little before coming to sit still, hands clasped nervously in his lap. The girl sat down on the couch across from him, and Auron sat down next to her. Tidus looked at her, looked into her eyes and abruptly turned away. They were ablaze, coldfire as Tidus had never seen them. There was cold fury in her ruby-red eyes as she stared Tidus down. Her lips were pursed. She leaned back in the couch, crossed her right leg over her left and folded her arms, studying him.

"What did I do?" Tidus asked.

"I told you to leave the questions to me!" The girl snapped. "Now, who the hell are you?" she asked, spitting out the words as though they tasted of an acrid poison.

"I'm Tidus! From Zanarkand!" He said earnestly, nodding his head vigorously.

"Tidus is dead," Auron interjected cooly. "We saw him jump off the airship right after we defeated Yu Yevon."

"I know you did, but I'm back," he said. "The fayth, Bahamut, brought me back to life."

"This is ludicrous," the girl said, snorting. "Nobody comes back from the dead. Not even Yevon could do that."

"Yeah, because Yevon was a fake!" Tidus protested.

"So I've heard," the girl said without missing a beat. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"What did I do?" Tidus said.

"For all we know, you're a mad bomber; you could blow this tower of the face of Spira at any minute now," she said curtly. "Based on this suspicion, we are very quick to act when an unidentified kid waltzes straight into the Conference Hall. You started walking straight at Yuna, what the Hell am I supposed to think? You were going to give her a big hug and a kiss?"

"Uh . . . that's exactly what I was going to do, actually," Tidus said.

"Shut up," she repeated. "I'm not a psychic, and I have to take Yuna's safety into consideration. If I don't know someone that charges into the Conference Hall, I'll usually kill them. You're lucky Auron was there to choke you before I could do it myself."

Tidus stared right back at the girl, trying to match her stony gaze. However, that was like trying to compare his body weight to that of Sin's. She was a giant, and Tidus was no match for fazing her like she was him. Her stony cold gaze was like staring into a black hole, willing him to be sucked into never-ending darkness and despair. Tidus was, once again, forced to break eye contact.

"Threats do us no good, you should know that Paine," Auron said, leaning forward. "Here's what we'll do. Let the man prove himself," he said slowly. "We should hear his side of the story before we pass judgment. If he is the real Tidus, he has a lot of catching up to do as far as current events go."

"And if he's not . . ." the girl said, leaning in so that hers and Tidus's noses almost touched and pressing the knife to Tidus's throat, "then I am the last thing he is ever going to see." She slowly withdrew the knife.

Tidus gulped. Though he had only known this girl for all of ten minutes, the girl's body language told him that she meant every word she said. Tidus cast a pleading look at Auron, who looked thoughtful and stern and did not meet Tidus's gaze. There was a heavy, uncomfortable silence settling itself over the three. The girl's comment hung in the air like a poisonous cloud, choking Tidus from the outside in. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth several times, attempting to move words through his throat. After a few attempts, he was able to speak again.

"What do you want me to say? This girl's made it pretty clear she'll have my head if I say something wrong," Tidus said.

Auron was silent for a minute before coming up with a solution. "I'll ask you a question."

Tidus looked puzzled. "How's that different from what you've been doing?" Auron silenced him with a look. "What kind of question?" Tidus corrected himself.

"A question Tidus would remember," Auron said curtly, gaze hardening as he further scrutinized the boy.

"I know everything about him. He's me!" Tidus couldn't help himself from blurting this out, quite indignantly.

"Then let's have it," the girl cut in, sounding interested. "Go on."

Auron was silent for a minute, his eye darting around as though looking for a suitable question to appear in front of him. It had to be a difficult question. A question that an impersonator who researched the boy could not know. It had to be a personal experience. It had to have meaning to him. And it had to be something that only the real Tidus would know.

"What did Yuna teach Tidus to do on the pilgrimage in Luca?"

Of all the questions Auron could have asked, this was one Tidus did not expect. It was so unexpected and random that Tidus suddenly drew a blank. Luca. He couldn't remember a thing about the city, other than the Blitzball game. He certainly couldn't remember an instance where Yuna taught him anything. There was silence. He racked his memory, trying his hardest to remember the answer to Auron's question. A minute passed, maybe two. Tidus didn't know. His mind was blank, casting in the murky waters of his thoughts, trying to find that one solution.

"We're wasting time, Auron," the girl said impatiently. "We place him under arrest, right now. Tidus, you have the right–"

"She taught me how to laugh," Tidus suddenly said. He seemed to have fallen into a sort of trance, as if he was dreaming. "She told me something. She said, 'I want my journey to be full of laughter.' We laughed for what seemed like hours. I remember feeling really happy and free-spirited. And then I remember how my face turned red when I saw you, Lulu and the others watching me." He stopped, and looked at Auron. His facial expression had not changed, though his eye twitched. He continued. "I remember feeling like there was nothing to stop me from laughing. Even if it was fake, my heart was telling me that the underlying feelings were real. If . . . only for a moment. I could see joy radiating from Yuna's eyes too, like she was a little kid. It was then that I knew we both didn't care who was watching. We just . . . laughed it off."

Auron continued to stare. The girl stood frozen in the middle of getting up off the couch. Slowly she sat back down again as Auron reached out his hand to halt the girl. Slowly Auron rose and walked over to where Tidus sat. He looked at Tidus's face again. Tidus had, by now, snapped out of his reverie, and was he was looking up at Auron with apprehension. Auron gripped Tidus's shoulder and lifted him from the couch.

Then, he held out his right hand.

Tidus sighed with relief and shook Auron's hand with as much gusto as was appropriate. When he was finished, he looked over at the girl, who was still sitting on the couch, nodding. Then, she rose and held out her right hand as well. Tidus, certainly not one to hold a grudge, shook it obligingly.

"Let him go, Paine," Auron said. "This is my old friend. Let him go right now."

Paine nodded and released her hand from Tidus's. "Welcome back."

"Jeez, you guys didn't have to be so rough!" Tidus protested, sitting back down again.

"Yes we did," Paine interjected. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Paine."

"Tidus, from Zanarkand," Tidus replied, nodding.

"So you told me," Paine said.

"Will somebody please tell me what's going on?" Tidus said, throwing up his hands. "Why all the scare tactics?"

Auron sighed, and spoke. "This may be difficult for you to understand at first . . ." he started. "But through time, you'll see what we mean."

"What?" Tidus persisted.

"We live in a different world now, Tidus," Auron replied. "The Church is gone, and with it Spira's only form of government. Action had to be taken before renegades seized control of Spira's financial and military assets. So, a new government has been created in Yevon's stead, with Yuna as its president."

"Plenty of people are going to want to take advantage of the confusion and uncertainty," Paine cut in, "and we don't want that to happen. We thought you might have been one of those people."

"Sounds like paranoia to me," Tidus said, slightly amazed.

"Call it what you want," Paine said curtly. "The measures we take are completely necessary. Perhaps, someday, you'll understand."

"Yuna will be able to fill you in with all the finer details about the system," Auron said. "Right now, she should be outlining her plan for the reconstruction of New Bhed and Zanarkand."

"What!" Tidus shouted, half in shock, half in excitement. "Yuna plans to rebuild Zanarkand? After more than a thousand years with the city in ruins?"

"Only if the two Circles of Representatives passes it," Paine said.

"Two Circles? I only saw the One," Tidus remarked, thinking.

"Each city has one primary delegate," Paine explained. "Most have secondary delegates, the exceptions being Zanarkand, Luca and Guadosalam. The primary delegates make up the first Circle of Representatives, as one vote, and the secondary delegates make up the second Circle of Representatives as one vote. Then Yuna, as President, casts one vote. This creates a three-point system, with Yuna, the First Circle, and the Second Circle's votes each equaling one. . . . It's rather complicated. As Auron said, Yuna could explain it better than either of us could. I'm not a Representative, as it is."

"Who are you, then, if you're not a Representative?" Tidus inquired, slightly haughtily.

"I'm the head of security," Paine said shortly, nodding curtly. "She picked me because I was efficient."

"I'll say," Tidus agreed, scratching the pinprick made by Paine's sword earlier.

"Your turn," Auron said shortly. "We gave you our explanation. Let's hear yours."

For the next ten minutes, Tidus explained his story. The fact that he and Bahamut were conversing in an unknown place (both Paine and Auron agreed with Tidus's speculations that this was the Farplane), and had begun negotiations for his life. He explained how Bahamut made him prove that he was worthy to bring back. Recalling the way he felt, he delved into his emotions, frustrations, and desires as he had explained to the Fayth. Both Auron and Paine listened, motionless, neither nodding nor asking questions. There was silence for a minute when Tidus finished recalling everything.

"I suppose this is a day of wide and sweeping change," Auron said at last. "It is hard for me to believe. But there's no explanation for why you're here, so that must be the accepted truth."

"I want to go see Yuna," Tidus said, almost whined. "I haven't seen her in such a long time."

"Certainly, eight days is too long," Paine said dryly. Tidus scowled.

"The ceremony is probably complete," Auron said. "Even though you're not a delegate yet, since Yuna nor the Table has voted to accept you . . . I think it's acceptable for you to be present in the Conference Hall. Paine?" He turned to her.

"Sure, whatever," Paine said dismissively, looking away.

Tidus didn't wait for an answer. He walked to the door and exited, retracing his steps down

the hallway that Auron had previously escorted him. The hallway seemed much more festive and inviting on this go-around. He could hear the padded footsteps of Auron and Paine, who were following wordlessly about fifteen feet behind him. Clapping sounded in front of him. In another minute or so, Tidus reached the hand-carved wooden door that led into the central chamber. He reached his hand for the doorknob, but before he could turn it, it swung open violently, almost hitting him in the head.

Yuna stood there, in all her beautiful glory. The blue and white dress flowed over her thin

frame like a gentle stream, swaying with the effect of her sudden movement. Her soft face had a look of shock etched into it, as though she was not expecting Tidus to be standing there. Almost instantly, however, her shock melted into a soft smile. It was not a grin; it didn't have to be. The eyes told the story. Disbelief, happiness, hope. She looked at Paine, who did nothing for a few seconds. Slowly, though, she nodded her head.

Everybody who was watching was expecting Yuna to cry with joy and leap into Tidus's arms,

showering him with fiery and passionate kisses as was cliche with lovers who had been apart from each other for too long. This was not the case, however. The emotions that Yuna and Tidus felt were well beyond words and actions. Only expressions could carry the weight. After Yuna stood motionless for what had to be at least a minute, she slowly snaked her arms around Tidus's neck and linked her hands behind it.

They kissed; not hard, not noisily, and with no displayed feelings of pent-up passion. It was a hesitant kiss, an uncertain yet hopeful kiss with feelings of predetermined joy and ecstasy lying underneath the skepticism. The delicacy with which they kissed each other was a moment engraved into anybody's mind who was present, kisser or witness. It conveyed emotions not known to even Tidus or Yuna. They only knew that this was the only way to understand the grief of being apart for the time that they were, even though it was a rather short period.

"Tidus . . . is it really you?" Yuna finally whispered, after breaking the kiss and resting her head gently against Tidus's.

"Yeah, it is," he said equally quietly. "You don't have to be alone anymore Yuna. I'm here. I always was here."

"I guess . . . I guess you were," Yuna said.

They kissed again. They didn't even hear the clapping in the background.

> > > > >

The hours passed, but the people of Bevelle paid no mind to the passing of time as they celebrated the New Age. Fireworks were lit in such numbers that Cid was forced to delay their flight back to Besaid for tomorrow morning. Loud music was played all over the city. Lights were flashing, and there were people singing, dancing and shouting in celebration. City guards were dispatched to keep an eye on the party animals to make sure that nobody got out of hand.

Not everybody celebrates with music and fireworks, however.

On a small public beach on the outskirts of Bevelle, two young people strolled along the shoreline, hands lightly intertwined. They had tread the same path down the sands several times, and were wearing a rut into the beach. The moon was almost full, its light reflecting off the ocean and the ground, lighting up the beach as though there was a light source underground. Shallow waves cascaded forward, the foamy water tickling their bare feet as they slowly padded across the white sands.

Their words blended in with the sounds of the ocean, producing a soothing and melodious tone. They had been talking for the last two hours, and by now had just about tapped their wells of conversation to its parch point. It didn't matter though. Their joy had been overly contained at the Central Chamber, but here, where there were no cameras, no reporters, and no delegates, they were uninhibited. Dancing, shouting, screaming, laughing, crying, talking, hollering, kissing, nobody saw it. But it meant the world to Tidus and Yuna.

"I . . . don't know if now is the right time to say this but . . . I didn't know what to do after you were gone," Yuna said quietly.

Tidus looked at her, shocked at this abrupt change in tone and atmosphere. "Huh?" He questioned, tilting his head quizzically.

"The memory of you . . . the memories of the times we had together were miraculous, and yet . . . the memories themselves haunted me, kind of . . . at the same time, you know? I wrestled with your death every waking minute of every hour, trying to bury the past out there with the remnants of Sin, in order to let you go. But unlike Sin, you couldn't be driven away. It's a lesson I learned at some great cost– physical giants are much easier to vanquish than those that cause turmoil within the heart. I wasted away until the memories I shared of you became poison in my veins. And at one point, I found myself wishing that . . . you had never existed." Yuna bowed her head that this point. "Is . . . is that so wrong?"

Tidus was silent a minute, letting Yuna's words sink into his mind. "I guess I can see that," he said slowly. "But you don't have to feel guilty. It was nothing that you did. It's not like you never wanted to see me again, right?" Yuna shook her head. "Yeah. Well . . . don't worry about the past. We're here, now." They stopped, and Tidus rested his hands on Yuna's shoulders, drawing her close. "Let's enjoy this time together."

They stopped walking, the first time they did so in over two hours. Yuna was now dressed in a simple shirt and skirt, and they lay down together on the sandy beach. Tidus wore his usual getup, except his necklace was absent from around his neck. Instead, it hung around Yuna's. The stars that were visible through the glow of the moon studied the two carefully. They would wink occasionally, pleased with what they saw, perhaps.

Tidus and Yuna stopped treading the beach and sat down, facing the waters. "Look at this ocean," Yuna said dreamily. "You want to know what it reminds me of?"

Tidus gazed into Yuna's bicolored eyes. "Hm?"

"The future," she replied. "You and I sit on this shore and gaze out into its infinite depths, where we cannot see across to its other side. And when we sail the sea, sometimes we get blown off course." She paused. "It . . . reminds me of how we can't plan too far off into the future, because we don't know when we'll get detoured. When life will throw us something new and our direction in life just . . . might be totally changed."

"And since we can't see across to the other side, what we don't see is a total mystery," Tidus said, picking up on her train of thought. "We can only see what we can see, just as we can only plan for the immediate future. It's all we can grasp, all we can know. And at the same time, it makes life . . . fun. In Zanarkand, I remember . . . I was a star player on a really good sports team. My father hated everything I did. You can imagine how . . . much I wanted to be as good a player as he did, and since I wanted it, he did everything he could to prevent me from being good."

"That's why he ridiculed and belittled you as he did," Yuna said, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"I know . . . me too," Tidus said. "Everyone always said I was so fortunate to have that talent, but nobody but Auron knew how I got there, and what was sacrificed along the way. All I had was a blitzball and a fan club. Money never mattered to me, what happiness could it bring me that I don't already have?" Yuna smiled. "To make a long story short . . . I guess I was just emphasizing your point. I could have never known how famous I would be. Look at me now . . . I thought I was going to go back home on the pilgrimage. I thought . . . I thought I was real. Just as you said, we can never see too far into the distance, or plot too great a course on the sea of life."

"You **are **real," Yuna said earnestly. "The Fayth brought you back."

"Yeah, he did," Tidus sighed. "Didn't count on that one either. But hey, I'm not complaining," he sighed. Then, he grinned. "So, Madame President . . ."

Yuna blushed, laughing. "Only in the Chamber, Tidus," she laughed. "And only in the Chamber do I call you Ambassador to Zanarkand."

"What was my vote count?" he asked, referring to the vote that swore him in as the secondary ambassador to Zanarkand.

"It doesn't matter," Yuna said with a pat on Tidus's shoulder. "And this is where I'm going to look far into the Spiran future."

"How so?" Tidus asked.

"While I am president, I'm going to unite our people," Yuna said. "The Al Bhed and the Guado and everyone in between. We will rebuild Home, and we will rebuild Zanarkand."

Tidus's eyebrows rose. "Rebuild Zanarkand? Wow . . . and disturb a Holy Site visited by only the worthy for hundreds of years? That's gonna raise a lot of eyebrows," he said.

"It will," Yuna agreed. "But the old ways of Yevon didn't work, now did they? Humanity is always doomed to make massive and catastrophic mistakes. However, it is also destined to learn from them. We will rebuild Zanarkand and use Machina, but not to the extremes of the old days."

"It sounds like you've got this all planned out," Tidus said, nodding.

They were silent for a moment, going over the conversation they had just had. It was an ambitious plan. Yuna knew that this government was skeletal at best; full of flaws, weaknesses and loopholes. However, considering the very little span of time with which the people had to create a system of government, it was actually rather impressive. The rest would have to be discovered and modified as the days and months progressed. Learning through experience, she was told, was the only way to modify mistakes in this situation. It would draw public outcry, for sure. But that was one of the downsides of being President.

"You know, Auron asked me a really interesting question when he was questioning me," Tidus said.

"Really?" Yuna said, tossing her head and grinning at Tidus. "And what was that?" she playfully inquired.

Tidus smiled before continuing. "He wanted me to remember our laughing exercise in Luca," he replied. "It took me a minute, but I could remember everything. The birds, the balmy winds, your scent, the way I felt stupid, yet happy at the same time . . . I couldn't put it into words," he finished. "It convinced Auron that I was me, that's for sure."

Yuna laughed. "Often, I find myself thinking that the best memories of my life are the ones I can't describe to anyone else," Yuna remarked, staring at the night sky. "It was as if life meant for them to only be fully understood by me. Don't you think . . . that that's possible?"

"Yeah," Tidus agreed. There was silence for a minute or so before Tidus spoke up again. "I can't wait to be watching the stars with you if– no, **when** we settle in Zanarkand," he said. "Isn't it ironic?" he said, chuckling. "All this time, I said I was going to go back and show you my Zanarkand. But, you're going to show me yours."

"I am," Yuna said, smiling. "You'll love it. You can help me build it. Just like you remember!"

"Just like I remember!" Tidus shouted, getting excited. "The roads, the Blitzball stadium, the houses, the docks, everything!"

By this time, both were laughing hysterically on the beach. It sounded so ridiculous when each said it, but underneath, they knew that it was true. Both meant what they said. Tidus wanted Zanarkand to be built just like he remembered. The nostalgia was creeping up in him again, despite how happy he was on Spira. He would enjoy seeing a touch of his old world on Spira.

Yuna shook her head. "I know that it's much easier said than done," she replied. "The risks and steps involved would take too long to name. But . . . we'll get through it. Auron said it best on Sin, didn't he?"

"Uh . . . refresh my memory," Tidus said apologetically.

Yuna giggled and kissed the tip of his nose before responding.

"This is our world now."

> > > > > > > > > >

How about that? No cliffhanger this time!

Anyway, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it once again. I'll see you sometime in the near-future with chapter seven, once I get a better idea of where I want this story to go. Drop me a review please! They're always appreciated. Until the next time, I'll see you around.

SirGecko


End file.
